The modal verb "wollen" in German
Meaning of "wollen" in German
The verb "wollen" means "to want" (in the sense of "having the intention of" or of "requesting something in an informal way")
Willst du mich heiraten?
Do you want to marry me?
Ich will eine gute Note bekommen, deswegen lerne ich viel
I want to get a good grade. That's why I study a lot
Grammar
"wollen" is a modal verb, which means that it needs another verb to complement its meaning.
Wollen’s auxiliary verb, like the rest of modal verbs, is haben.
| Verb | 3rd Person | Präteritum | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wollen | will | wollte | gewollt | to want |
Conjugation of "wollen"
Present simple (Präsens Indikativ)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich will | I want |
| du willst | you want |
| er/sie/es will | he/she/it wants |
| wir wollen | we want |
| ihr wollt | you want |
| sie wollen | they want |
Wer will spielen?
Who wants to play?
Simple past (Präteritum)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich wollte | I wanted |
| du wolltest | you wanted |
| er/sie/es wollte | he/she/it wanted |
| wir wollten | we wanted |
| ihr wolltet | you wanted |
| sie wollten | they wanted |
Sie wollten nach Spanien reisen
They want to travel to Spain
Als Kind wollte ich ein Pilot werden
As a child I wanted to be a pilot
Es tut mir leid, ich wollte dir nicht weh tun
I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you
Für die Kinder wollten wir immer das Beste.
We always wanted the best for our children
Perfect (Perfekt)
Structure of Perfect for the modal verb:
haben + FULL VERB + wollen
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich habe trinken wollen | I have wanted |
| du hast trinken wollen | you have wanted |
| er/sie/es hat trinken wollen | he/she/it has wanted |
| wir haben trinken wollen | we have wanted |
| ihr habt trinken wollen | you have wanted |
| sie haben trinken wollen | they have wanted |
Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II)
| Conjugation |
|---|
| ich wollte |
| du wolltest |
| er/sie/es wollte |
| wir wollten |
| ihr wolltet |
| sie wollten |
Participle (Partizip)
| Partizip I | Partizip II |
|---|---|
| wollend (wanting) | gewollt (wanted) |
Imperative
"wollen" like the rest of modal verbs. It does not have an imperative.
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