verb

wollen

want

Es beschreibt den Wunsch, etwas zu tun oder zu bekommen.

Definition & meaning

wollen is a German modal verb that usually means “to want” or “to intend to.” Its precise meaning depends on context:

To want or desire something: to express a wish or preference.
Ich will Kaffee. — “I want coffee.”
To intend or be determined to do something:
Sie will Ärztin werden. — “She wants/intends to become a doctor.”
To claim or say that something is true: when used with a past participle and an auxiliary, it can report a person’s own claim.
Er will das gesehen haben. — “He claims to have seen that.”

It can also appear as the noun das Wollen , meaning “the act or faculty of willing”—particularly in philosophical contexts.

Grammar & Word origin

wollen is an irregular modal verb. Its present-tense forms are ich will, du willst, er/sie/es will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, and sie/Sie wollen. Its simple past is wollte.

When followed by another verb, it usually takes that verb in the infinitive without zu: wollen gehen (“to want to go”). In the perfect tense, modal-verb constructions commonly use two infinitives, as in hat gehen wollen (“wanted to go”). When used without another verb, its past participle is gewollt.

The verb comes from an Old High German form meaning “to want” or “to wish” and is related to der Wille , “will” or “volition.”

Synonyms & antonyms

There is no single synonym that fits every use of wollen:

möchten means “would like to” and is generally more polite or less forceful.
wünschen means “to wish for”; it emphasizes a desire, not necessarily an intention to act.
beabsichtigen means “to intend”; it focuses on a plan rather than a desire.
verlangen means “to demand” or “to require,” and is stronger and more insistent.

There is no exact antonym in all contexts. Depending on the meaning, ablehnen (“to reject”) or verweigern (“to refuse”) can express the opposite of wanting or agreeing to something.