How to talk about what you want in French

Imagine you are in France, may you know how to express what you want but what if you need to say ‘I don’t want’? Welcome to this new episode!

#1 How to express what you want politely

For that, you need to use the conditional tense in French

I would love= j’aimerais

I would want/I would like = je voudrais although this means I would want, French use it to say ‘I would like’

I would desire : je désirerais, this is a very formal way to express what you want

Bonjour, je voudrais un croissant, s’il vous plait

Bonjour, J’aimerais un café, s’il vous plait

Bonjour, je désirerais le plat du jour, s’il vous plait.

#2 How to express what you want firmly

Je veux = I want

J’exige = I demand

Demander in french does not mean to demand.

Bonjour, je veux une autre chambre, s’il vous plait.

Bonjour, j’exige un remboursement, s’il vous plait ( I demand a refund)

#3 How to express what you don’t want

I don’t want = je ne veux pas

You can use I don’t want in all situations but remember to always ‘pas de’

Je ne veux pas de croissant

Je ne veux pas de lait

Je ne veux pas de vin

Je n’en veux pas = I don’t want any of it

Voilà, c’est la fin de cet épisode !

Since you are here how about how to improve French pronunciation with these simple hacks?

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