italiano · A1 · verb · 4 minutes
Volere: present tense
Express wants and intentions with a stem-changing modal.
Understand the choice
Volere carries desire or intention and directly supports another verb. For service politeness, vorrei is softer than voglio, but the present forms remain essential for preferences and plans.
Core rule: Volere is irregular and normally takes a noun or a following infinitive without a preposition.
Notice it in context
Voglio imparare l’italiano, ma loro vogliono studiare spagnolo.
I want to learn Italian, but they want to study Spanish.
Voglio and vogliono carry person; imparare and studiare remain infinitives.
Vuoi un caffè o un tè?
Do you want a coffee or tea?
Vuoi agrees with tu and takes two noun choices.
Vogliamo visitare il museo domani.
We want to visit the museum tomorrow.
Vogliamo agrees with noi; visitare follows directly.
What to remember
- Voler bene a means care for/love someone and uses a, unlike volere qualcosa.
- Voglio can sound direct in requests.
Common trap: Do not add di before the infinitive: voglio imparare.