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7.5. Vouloir, pouvoir, devoir et savoir

The Verbs Vouloir, Pouvoir, Devoir, and Savoir

7.5.1. The Main Idea

The verbs vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, and savoir are very useful because they often combine with another verb in the infinitive.

vouloir	to want
pouvoir	to be able to / can
devoir	to have to / must
savoir	to know how to

The pattern is:

conjugated verb + infinitive	meaning
Je veux partir.	I want to leave.
Je peux venir.	I can come.
Je dois étudier.	I have to study.
Je sais parler français.	I know how to speak French.

7.5.2. Vouloir

Vouloir means to want.

je veux	I want
tu veux	you want, informal
il veut	he wants
elle veut	she wants
nous voulons	we want
vous voulez	you want, formal or plural
ils veulent	they want
elles veulent	they want

7.5.3. Examples with Vouloir

Je veux un café.	I want a coffee.
Tu veux venir ?	Do you want to come?
Il veut regarder un film.	He wants to watch a movie.
Elle veut aller au café.	She wants to go to the café.
Nous voulons étudier le français.	We want to study French.
Vous voulez prendre quelque chose ?	Would you like to have something?
Ils veulent sortir ce soir.	They want to go out tonight.

7.5.4. Pouvoir

Pouvoir means to be able to or can.

je peux	I can / I am able to
tu peux	you can, informal
il peut	he can
elle peut	she can
nous pouvons	we can
vous pouvez	you can, formal or plural
ils peuvent	they can
elles peuvent	they can

7.5.5. Examples with Pouvoir

Je peux venir.	I can come.
Tu peux m’aider ?	Can you help me?
Il peut parler français.	He can speak French.
Elle peut aller au concert.	She can go to the concert.
Nous pouvons manger ensemble.	We can eat together.
Vous pouvez payer par carte.	You can pay by card.
Ils peuvent voir le film.	They can see the movie.

7.5.6. Devoir

Devoir means to have to or must.

je dois	I have to / I must
tu dois	you have to / you must, informal
il doit	he has to / he must
elle doit	she has to / she must
nous devons	we have to / we must
vous devez	you have to / you must, formal or plural
ils doivent	they have to / they must
elles doivent	they have to / they must

7.5.7. Examples with Devoir

Je dois étudier.	I have to study.
Tu dois finir tes devoirs.	You have to finish your homework.
Il doit partir maintenant.	He has to leave now.
Elle doit travailler ce soir.	She has to work tonight.
Nous devons acheter du pain.	We have to buy some bread.
Vous devez attendre ici.	You have to wait here.
Ils doivent rentrer à la maison.	They have to go home.

7.5.8. Savoir

Savoir means to know or to know how to.

je sais	I know / I know how to
tu sais	you know / you know how to, informal
il sait	he knows / he knows how to
elle sait	she knows / she knows how to
nous savons	we know / we know how to
vous savez	you know / you know how to, formal or plural
ils savent	they know / they know how to
elles savent	they know / they know how to

7.5.9. Examples with Savoir

Je sais parler français.	I know how to speak French.
Tu sais faire la cuisine ?	Do you know how to cook?
Il sait conduire.	He knows how to drive.
Elle sait jouer au tennis.	She knows how to play tennis.
Nous savons répondre à la question.	We know how to answer the question.
Vous savez où est le café ?	Do you know where the café is?
Ils savent nager.	They know how to swim.

7.5.10. Comparing the Four Verbs

Je veux partir.	I want to leave.
Je peux partir.	I can leave.
Je dois partir.	I have to leave.
Je sais partir.	I know how to leave.

Most of the time, savoir + infinitive means to know how to do something.

7.5.11. Polite Requests

Pouvoir and vouloir are useful for polite requests.

Vous pouvez m’aider ?	Can you help me?
Tu peux m’aider ?	Can you help me? informal
Vous voulez prendre un café ?	Would you like to have a coffee?
Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ?	Can you repeat, please?

7.5.12. Negative Sentences

Place ne… pas around the conjugated verb.

Je ne veux pas sortir.	I do not want to go out.
Je ne peux pas venir.	I cannot come.
Je ne dois pas partir.	I must not leave. / I do not have to leave.
Je ne sais pas répondre.	I do not know how to answer.

7.5.13. Core Patterns

vouloir + infinitive	to want to do something
pouvoir + infinitive	to be able to / can do something
devoir + infinitive	to have to / must do something
savoir + infinitive	to know how to do something

Je veux ___ .	I want ___ .
Je peux ___ .	I can ___ .
Je dois ___ .	I have to ___ .
Je sais ___ .	I know how to ___ .

7.5.14. Practice

I want to leave. |

I can come. |

I have to study. |

I know how to speak French. |

Can you help me? informal |

He wants to watch a movie. |

She can go to the concert. |

We have to buy bread. |

They know how to swim. |

I cannot come. |

7.5.15. Answers

I want to leave.	Je veux partir.
I can come.	Je peux venir.
I have to study.	Je dois étudier.
I know how to speak French.	Je sais parler français.
Can you help me? informal	Tu peux m’aider ?
He wants to watch a movie.	Il veut regarder un film.
She can go to the concert.	Elle peut aller au concert.
We have to buy bread.	Nous devons acheter du pain.
They know how to swim.	Ils savent nager.
I cannot come.	Je ne peux pas venir.

7.5.16. Short Dialogue

A : Tu veux sortir ce soir ?	A: Do you want to go out tonight?
B : Je ne peux pas. Je dois étudier.	B: I can’t. I have to study.
A : Tu sais parler français maintenant ?	A: Do you know how to speak French now?
B : Oui, je sais parler un peu français.	B: Yes, I know how to speak a little French.

7.5.17. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, and savoir with infinitives, say what someone wants to do, can do, has to do, and knows how to do, and form simple negative sentences such as je ne veux pas, je ne peux pas, je ne dois pas, and je ne sais pas.

7.5.18. Try It Out

Try saying this in French:

Can you help me?

I have to study.

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Possible answer:

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