Lesson 28: Can, Want, Must (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir)
Pouvoir, Vouloir, Devoir — the Three Magic Verbs · A0 → A1 · Part 4 · Past & Future
You will learn the three verbs that let you say can, want and must. You will be able to ask permission, make polite requests with je voudrais, and say what you have to do. You will also use the pattern modal + infinitive correctly.
In this lesson
- pouvoir / vouloir / devoir
- modal + infinitive
- polite requests
- obligation
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| je peux | I can / I am able to | zhuh puh ژُ پُہ | The x of peux is silent — say 'puh'. |
| tu peux | you can | tü puh تُو پُہ | Same sound as je peux: 'puh'. |
| il peut / elle peut | he can / she can | eel puh / el puh ایل پُہ | peut sounds the same: 'puh'. Three spellings, one sound. |
| nous pouvons | we can | noo poo-von نو پوووں | Here you finally hear the v: poo-von. |
| vous pouvez | you can | voo poo-vay وو پووے | The z sound of vous joins the p: voo-poo-vay. |
| ils peuvent / elles peuvent | they can | eel puhv / el puhv ایل پُوو | This one is different: the v is heard — 'puhv'. |
| je veux | I want | zhuh vuh ژُ وُہ | The x is silent. Say 'vuh', not 'veks'. |
| il veut | he wants | eel vuh ایل وُہ | veut sounds exactly like veux: 'vuh'. |
| nous voulons | we want | noo voo-lon نو وولوں | The l is clear here: voo-lon. |
| ils veulent | they want | eel vul ایل وُل | veulent is irregular in sound: 'vul', not 'vuh-luh'. |
| je dois | I must / I have to | zhuh dwa ژُ دوا | The s is silent. dois sounds like 'dwa'. |
| il doit | he must / he has to | eel dwa ایل دوا | doit sounds the same as dois: 'dwa'. |
| nous devons | we must / we have to | noo duh-von نو دُہ ووں | Careful: the e here is a plain 'uh' sound, not 'ay'. |
| ils doivent | they must / they have to | eel dwav ایل دواو | doivent = 'dwav', with the v heard. |
| je voudrais | I would like | zhuh voo-dreh ژُ وودرے | The polite form of je veux. Always use this with waiters, shopkeepers and strangers. |
| Je peux vous aider ? | Can I help you? | zhuh puh voo-ze-day ژُ پُہ ووزے دے | Link pouvez/aider: voo-zay-day. A natural sentence in any shop. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| je peux / il peut | zhuh puh, eel puh | zhuh puh ... eel puh | The x of peux and the t of peut are BOTH silent. They sound identical: 'puh'. |
| il peut / ils peuvent | eel puh, eel puhv | eel puh ... eel puhv | The plural is the only place you hear the v: 'puhv'. If you hear a v, the subject is plural. |
| je veux / il veut | zhuh vuh, eel vuh | zhuh vuh ... eel vuh | veux and veut are homophones — same sound 'vuh'. The spelling only shows who is speaking. |
| je dois / il doit | zhuh dwa, eel dwa | zhuh dwa ... eel dwa | The s and the t are silent. Both are 'dwa'. Do not say 'doys' or 'doyt'. |
| je voudrais | zhuh voo-dreh | zhuh voo ... dreh | The final s is silent and the ai gives an open 'eh'. Say 'voo-dreh', never 'voo-drays'. |
The listening problem in this lesson is that many forms sound identical: peux / peut / peuvent are all 'puh' family sounds, and veux / veut sound the same. Learn the sounds, then let the subject tell you which form it is.
Grammar
POUVOIR, VOULOIR, DEVOIR + infinitive (the second verb never changes)
These three verbs are followed directly by an INFINITIVE — never by a conjugated verb, never with a preposition. je peux venir (I can come), je veux manger (I want to eat), je dois partir (I have to leave). The second verb stays an infinitive for every person: je dois partir, nous devons partir, ils doivent partir. Think of the modal verb as the engine and the infinitive as the destination — only the engine changes.
Permission, politeness and the negative (ne…pas goes around the modal)
POUVOIR asks for permission and ability: Je peux… ? / Est-ce que je peux… ? (Can I…? May I…?). VOULOIR states a wish, but to be polite you use je voudrais (I would like) instead of je veux (I want) — je veux sounds blunt to a waiter or a stranger. DEVOIR expresses obligation: Je dois travailler (I have to work), Je dois partir (I have to leave). In the negative, ne…pas wraps around the MODAL, not around the infinitive: je ne peux pas venir, il ne veut pas manger, nous ne devons pas oublier.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Je peux venir demain. | I can come tomorrow. | zhuh puh vuh-neer duh-man |
| Est-ce que je peux entrer ? | May I come in? | es-kuh zhuh puh ahn-tray ↗ |
| Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. | I would like a coffee, please. | zhuh voo-dreh an ka-fay, seel voo pleh |
| Elle veut apprendre le français. | She wants to learn French. | el vuh a-prahn-dr luh frahn-seh |
| Nous voulons voyager en France. | We want to travel to France. | noo voo-lon vwa-ya-zhay ahn frahns |
| Je dois partir maintenant. | I have to leave now. | zhuh dwa par-teer man-tuh-nahn |
| Vous devez travailler. | You have to work. | voo duh-vay tra-va-yay |
| Ils doivent attendre le bus. | They have to wait for the bus. | eel dwav a-tahndr luh büs |
| Je ne peux pas venir aujourd'hui. | I cannot come today. | zhuh nuh puh pa vuh-neer o-zhoor-düee |
| Nous ne devons pas oublier. | We must not forget. | noo nuh duh-von pa oo-blee-yay |
| Tu peux m'aider, s'il te plaît ? | Can you help me, please? | tü puh meh-day, seel tuh pleh ↗ |
| Je voudrais réserver une table. | I would like to book a table. | zhuh voo-dreh ray-zehr-vay ün tabl |
| Il veut manger, mais il doit travailler. | He wants to eat, but he has to work. | eel vuh mahn-zhay, meh eel dwa tra-va-yay |
| Elle peut venir ce soir. Elle a fini son travail. | She can come tonight. She finished her work. | el puh vuh-neer suh swar. el a fee-nee son tra-vai |
Dialogue: Au café — a polite order and a small change of plan
Use vous with a waiter, even if the waiter is young. Notice the difference between je voudrais (polite) and je veux (which would sound rude here).
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serveur | Bonjour ! Je peux vous aider ? | Hello! Can I help you? | bon-zhoor, zhuh puh voo-ze-day ↗ |
| Client | Bonjour. Je voudrais un café et un croissant, s'il vous plaît. | Hello. I would like a coffee and a croissant, please. | bon-zhoor. zhuh voo-dreh an ka-fay ay an krwa-sahn, seel voo pleh |
| Serveur | Très bien. Vous voulez autre chose ? | Very good. Do you want anything else? | treh byan. voo voo-lay o-truh shoz ↗ |
| Client | Non merci. Ah, est-ce que je peux avoir le wifi ? | No thank you. Ah, may I have the wifi? | non mehr-see. a, es-kuh zhuh puh a-vwar luh wee-fee ↗ |
| Serveur | Bien sûr. Le mot de passe est sur la table. | Of course. The password is on the table. | byan sür. luh mo duh pas eh sür la tabl |
| Client | Merci ! Et je dois partir à onze heures, je peux payer maintenant ? | Thank you! And I have to leave at eleven, can I pay now? | mehr-see. ay zhuh dwa par-teer a on-zur, zhuh puh pay-yay mahn-tuh-nahn ↗ |
| Serveur | Oui, bien sûr. C'est huit euros. | Yes, of course. That is eight euros. | wee, byan sür. seh üee-tuh-ü-ro |
| Client | Voilà. Merci beaucoup ! | Here you are. Thank you very much! | vwa-la. mehr-see bo-koo |
Say it out loud
- Je peux venir demain. — I can come tomorrow. Only one 'puh' — the x is silent.
- Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. — I would like a coffee, please. The polite form. Never je veux in a café.
- Je dois partir maintenant. — I have to leave now. dois = 'dwa', one syllable.
- Nous devons travailler. — We have to work. devons = 'duh-von', not 'day-von'.
- Je ne peux pas venir aujourd'hui. — I cannot come today. ne…pas around peux.
- Est-ce que je peux entrer ? — May I come in? Rise at the end for a permission question.
- Tu peux m'aider ? — Can you help me? m'aider = meh-day, linked.
- Il veut manger, mais il doit travailler. — He wants to eat, but he has to work. Both second verbs stay in the infinitive.
Listening practice: Un message sur WhatsApp — a small problem
Salut Ali ! Je ne peux pas venir ce soir, je dois travailler. Demain, je peux venir chez toi à six heures. Tu veux manger quelque chose ? Je voudrais acheter une pizza. Est-ce que tu peux appeler Karim ? Il veut venir aussi. Nous devons finir le projet cette semaine. À demain !
Hi Ali! I cannot come tonight, I have to work. Tomorrow I can come to your place at six o'clock. Do you want to eat something? I would like to buy a pizza. Can you call Karim? He wants to come too. We have to finish the project this week. See you tomorrow!
Questions
- Why can the speaker not come tonight? He/She is ill / He/She has to work / He/She is travelling → He/She has to work
- What time can the speaker come tomorrow? At six o'clock / At eight o'clock / At ten o'clock → At six o'clock
- What would the speaker like to buy? A coffee / A pizza / A cake → A pizza
- Who does the speaker want you to call? Karim / Nadia / Ali's mother → Karim
- What must they finish this week? A book / A project / A film → A project
Remember this
- POUVOIR = can: je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent.
- VOULOIR = want: je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent.
- DEVOIR = must / have to: je dois, tu dois, il doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils doivent.
- Modal verb + infinitive — the second verb never changes and takes no preposition.
- je voudrais (I would like) is the polite form of je veux — use it in shops, cafés and offices.
- Je peux… ? / Est-ce que je peux… ? asks permission or ability.
- Je dois travailler = obligation.
- Negative: ne…pas goes around the modal — je ne peux pas venir.
- je peux / il peut sound the same ('puh'); ils peuvent is the only one with a v sound.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Je peux viens demain. | Je peux venir demain. | The second verb must be an infinitive. Only the first (modal) verb is conjugated. |
| Je peux à venir. | Je peux venir. | French puts nothing between pouvoir/vouloir/devoir and the infinitive — no 'à', no 'de'. |
| Je ne peux venir pas. | Je ne peux pas venir. | ne…pas surrounds the conjugated modal peux, not the infinitive venir. |
| Je veux un café. (to a waiter) | Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. | je veux sounds demanding in shops and cafés. je voudrais is the polite default. |
| Je dois de partir. | Je dois partir. | devoir is followed directly by the infinitive, with no 'de'. |
Practice questions
- Complete: Je ___ venir demain. (I can come tomorrow.) peux / veux / dois / pouvoir — peux
- You are ordering in a café. Which is the polite form? Je veux un café. / Je voudrais un café. / Je peux un café. / Je dois un café. — Je voudrais un café.
- What is the correct second verb: Je dois ___ maintenant. pars / partir / pars pas / parti — partir
- How do you say 'I cannot come'? Je ne peux pas venir. / Je ne peux venir pas. / Je peux ne pas venir. / Je ne vais pas peux venir. — Je ne peux pas venir.
- The 'nous' form of VOULOIR is: nous volez / nous voulons / nous voulons pas / nous veulent — nous voulons
- The 'ils' form of DEVOIR is: ils dois / ils doit / ils doivent / ils devons — ils doivent
- Which sentence asks for permission? Je dois entrer. / Est-ce que je peux entrer ? / Je voudrais entrer. / Il peut entrer. — Est-ce que je peux entrer ?
- 'Je dois partir' means: I want to leave / I can leave / I have to leave / I would like to leave — I have to leave
- How many sounds do je peux, il peut have? Two different sounds / The same sound ('puh') / Three sounds / 'peks' and 'pet' — The same sound ('puh')
- Which sentence is correct? Je peux à venir. / Je peux viens. / Je peux venir. / Je peux venir pas. — Je peux venir.
Homework (15 minutes)
Write 10 sentences: 3 with pouvoir (I can / I cannot), 3 with vouloir (including one polite je voudrais), and 4 with devoir (what you have to do this week). Then say out loud, using the three verbs together: Je veux voyager, mais je dois travailler, alors je peux partir seulement en juillet.
Lesson 28 of 45 · Part 4 · Past & Future · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2