Vouloir (to want) · Passé Composé
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Vouloir in the French passé composé is: j'ai voulu, tu as voulu, il/elle/on a voulu, nous avons voulu, vous avez voulu, ils/elles ont voulu. The passé composé of vouloir uses AVOIR + participle 'voulu'. 'J'ai voulu te dire' often implies 'I tried to tell you' (intention that may or may not have been realized) — meaning-shift verb like Spanish quise.
| To Want | Vouloir |
|---|---|
| I wanted | j'ai voulu |
| you wanted | tu as voulu |
| he/she wanted | il/elle/on a voulu |
| we wanted | nous avons voulu |
| you wanted | vous avez voulu |
| they wanted | ils/elles ont voulu |
Vouloir (to want) in context
Sentences that use vouloir in the passé composé. Tap each to hear it.
I wanted to tell you something.
You wanted to leave too early.
He refused to answer.
We wanted to surprise you.
You wanted to do too much.
They didn't want to come with us.
Working with the passé composé
The passé composé is French's dominant past tense — used in almost every spoken past reference ("j'ai mangé" = "I ate" or "I have eaten"). It's a COMPOUND tense formed with an auxiliary (avoir for most verbs, être for ~17 motion/state verbs and all reflexives) plus a past participle. Two things to memorise: which verbs take être (aller, venir, partir, sortir, arriver, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, devenir, retourner, entrer, rentrer, passer, revenir — the so-called "house of être"), and agreement rules (être verbs agree with the subject; avoir verbs only agree with a preceding direct object).
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the passé composé of vouloir?
Why does 'j'ai voulu' sometimes mean 'I tried'?
Should I use 'j'ai voulu' or 'je voulais'?
Practice Vouloir (To Want) in real conversations
TutorLily is your personal language tutor that catches every mistake gently and keeps the conversation going.
3-day free trial · Cancel anytime · 50+ languages
More tenses of Vouloir (To Want)
More verbs in passé composé
Get the app