The difference between “wollen” and “möchten”
While studying German, you might quickly encounter the verbs “wollen” and “möchten.” Yet, many students get confused about when to use which of them. This article explains everything you need to know to use them in the future.
“Möchten” or “Wollen”?
Firstly, you should understand the meaning of the two verbs “möchten” or “wollen” in German to use them properly. “Möchten” means “would like to” in English, and “wollen” translates as “to want.” You can learn more about when and how to use these verbs in the following.
The verb “wollen”
The German verb “wollen” is part of the modal verb group. These verbs always demand a second verb, or as in the case of “wollen” a noun it refers to.
However, in reality, people often use “wollen” / “to want” wrong in everyday conversations. For instance, If I would ask my friend if he wants to join me for dinner, chances are pretty high that his answer would be “I want”, though this is dramatically incorrect. The same applies to Germans, who frequently answer with “ich will.”
Yet, you should remember never(!) to do this in a German test or when writing a proper text. Also, the conjugation “ich” and the 3rd person singular (er, sie, es) will always have the same form. Besides, the vowel “o” also changes to “i” for the singular persons. Beyond that, Germans usually use “wollen” in Präteritum (simple past) and not in Perfekt.
Recommended study materials on the topic:
Exercise – German modal verbs in the present tense (incl. answers)
Exercise – German modal verbs in the past tense (incl. answers)
Conversation exercise – speaking with modal verbs in the present tense
Conversation exercise – speaking with modal verbs in the past tense
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
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Conjugation of “wollen”
| Präsens | Präteritum | |
| ich | will | wollte |
| du | willst | wolltest |
| er | will | wollte |
| sie | will | wollte |
| es | will | wollte |
| wir | wollen | wollten |
| ihr | wollt | wolltet |
| sie | wollen | wollten |
The usage of “wollen”
In German, you use “wollen” if you “want” something or plan to do something. Please be aware that there is a significant danger of confusion, and you do not (!) use “wollen” to form the future tense, as many students assume because of the similarity of “will” to the English “will-Future.” In English, “to want” is less polite, which also applies to German. This means, for instance, that you would not use “wollen” if you wish to order something in a restaurant as it sounds rude. Though if your visit is a nightmare and you want to ask angrily for the manager, you could easily use “wollen.” In short: If you’re going to express what you want to do or to have (like a plan) or your mood changed from polite to a bit angrier, it is time to use the verb “wollen” in German. It is possible to use “wollen” in two different ways in a sentence: with a second verb or a direct Object (Accusative).
1. Option = “wollen” + verb
If you want to use “wollen” with a second verb, the second verb has to go to the very end of your sentence. Accordingly, you can put everything between the two verbs you wish to add to your sentence. Also, as you already conjugated “wollen,” the second verb will stay in the infinitive form.
For instance:
Ich will nächsten Sommer mit meiner Freundin nach Spanien reisen.
I want to travel to Spain with my (girl)friend next summer.
Wir wollen mit unseren Eltern am Mittwoch in einem Restaurant essen.
We want to eat in a restaurant with our parents on Wednesday.
2. Option = “wollen” + direct object
The second option to use “wollen” is to connect it with a direct object. You do the same in English in sentences such as “I want the money.” or “We want the pizzas.”. If you do that in German, it means that you have to use the “Accusative”-case in which the male article “der” becomes “den,” and accordingly, the male “ein” becomes “einen.”
For instance:
- Wir wollen die Pizza.
- We want the pizza.
- Die Kinder wollen Ferien.
- The children want a vacation.
The verb “möchten”
The German verb “möchten” is the “light version” of “wollen,” and therefore, it also always demands a second verb or a noun. Also, the conjugation of “ich” and the 3rd person singular (er, sie, es) are always the same. Besides, “möchten” does not have its version of past tense, and therefore, if you want to use “möchten” in the past, you need to use the Präteritum-version of “wollen.”
Conjugation of “möchten”
| Präsens | Präteritum | |
| ich | möchte | wollte |
| du | möchtest | wolltest |
| er | möchte | wollte |
| sie | möchte | wollte |
| es | möchte | wollte |
| wir | möchten | wollten |
| ihr | möchtet | wolltet |
| sie | möchten | wollten |
The usage of “möchten”
As already mentioned, the verb “möchten” is more polite and not as straightforward as “wollen.” Consequently, you should keep this in mind, because most of the time, and especially when interacting with others like in a coffee place, you will want to use “möchten”. Otherwise, it easily sounds rude to Germans and they might react a bit irritated. The grammatical rules for “möchten” are the same as we have for “wollen”.
1. Option = “möchten” + verb
- Ich möchte einen Hamburger bestellen.
- I would like to order a hamburger.
- Meine Freunde möchten mit mir in den Park gehen.
- My friends would like to go to the park with me.
2. Option = “möchten” + direct object
- Wir möchten die Rechnung bitte.
- We would like the bill, please.
- Die Menschen möchten die Einladung.
- The people would like the invitation.
To want or to would like
After reading this article, I hope it clarifies when to use “wollen” and “möchten”. Above all, if there is still a situation of doubt, I recommend you always go for the polite version of “möchten” as you can become more straightforward afterward. If you want to know more about how to form a sentence in German Futur 1, check out how to speak in Future tense in German.
Bis bald!
Steffie
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