Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
wollen in every tense
The three you'll use most are highlighted: Präsens for now, Perfekt for the past when you speak, Futur I for later.
Präsens
now
| ich | willI want |
|---|---|
| du | willstyou want |
| er/sie/es | willhe/she wants |
| wir | wollenwe want |
| ihr | wolltyou want |
| sie/Sie | wollenthey want |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | wollteI wanted |
|---|---|
| du | wolltestyou wanted |
| er/sie/es | wolltehe/she wanted |
| wir | wolltenwe wanted |
| ihr | wolltetyou wanted |
| sie/Sie | wolltenthey wanted |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gewolltI have wanted |
|---|---|
| du | hast gewolltyou have wanted |
| er/sie/es | hat gewollthe/she has wanted |
| wir | haben gewolltwe have wanted |
| ihr | habt gewolltyou have wanted |
| sie/Sie | haben gewolltthey have wanted |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gewolltI had wanted |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gewolltyou had wanted |
| er/sie/es | hatte gewollthe/she had wanted |
| wir | hatten gewolltwe had wanted |
| ihr | hattet gewolltyou had wanted |
| sie/Sie | hatten gewolltthey had wanted |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde wollenI will want |
|---|---|
| du | wirst wollenyou will want |
| er/sie/es | wird wollenhe/she will want |
| wir | werden wollenwe will want |
| ihr | werdet wollenyou will want |
| sie/Sie | werden wollenthey will want |
wollen in use
- A1
Ich will nach Hause.
I want to go home.
- A1
Wir wollen ein Haus kaufen.
We want to buy a house.
- A2
Ich wollte dich anrufen.
I wanted to call you.
Good to know
- Modal verb: the second verb goes to the end.
- False friend: 'ich will' = I want (not 'I will': that's 'ich werde').
Build it yourself.
Ziplex has a Verben bauen game: build verb forms from tiles, with the verbs from your own posts. Plus short posts at your level to see them in action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is wollen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
wollen takes haben. For example: habe gewollt.
What is the past tense of wollen?
Präteritum: wollte. Perfekt: habe gewollt.
Is wollen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.