How do you use the verb voglio in Italian? What does it mean? How do you pronounce it?
In this lesson, we will look at how to use this word with the help of many audio recordings and example sentences. Read on to learn everything you need to know!
How to use voglio in Italian
What is voglio?
Voglio is a present tense conjugation of the verb volere, which means to want. To be more precise, it’s the first-person present tense conjugation of volere, which is a very irregular verb in Italian, translating as “I want”.
Let’s hear how it is pronounced.
Voglio…
I want…
Its pronunciation is close to vo-llee-oh. If you have trouble pronouncing Italian sounds, especially the palatalized L, check out the Italian pronunciation guide.
Now, let’s see some example sentences with voglio in Italian, before we take a look at how to use the verb volere along with its other present tense conjugations as well.
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
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Italian All-in-One For Dummies appeals to those readers looking for a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to mastering the Italian language. It contains content from all For Dummies Italian language instruction titles, including Italian For Dummies, Intermediate Italian For Dummies, Italian Verbs For Dummies, Italian Phrases For Dummies, Italian Grammar For Dummies, and Italian For Dummies Audio Set.
Voglio ridipingere la cameretta dei bambini.
I want to repaint the nursery.
Voglio andare in vacanza a New York per Natale.
I want to go on vacation to New York for Christmas.
Non voglio che il cane salga sul divano.
I don’t want the dog to get on the couch.
Voglio un nuovo giocattolo, mamma!
I want a new toy, mommy!
Now let’s see where voglio in Italian comes from.
Use of voglio in Italian
You probably already know that the indicativo presente (present tense) conjugation for the pronoun io adds the ending -o to the root of the verb, or stem (see note for more info).
What’s the stem of a verb?
Italian infinitive verbs end in -ARE, -ERE and -IRE.
Cut off this part and you are left with the root verb.
Examples:
tremare ➡️ trem-
piovere ➡️ piov-
cucire ➡️ cuc-
Italian verb endings for each tense are added to these root forms of the verb.
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Now, how would you conjugate the present tense of volere, “to want”?
Take away the infinitive ending -ere and add -o!
Volere… ➡️ Vol-… ➡️ Io volo?
That’s… not quite right.
You may be be surprised to learn that the correct conjugation for volere is actually io voglio. Io volo means I fly. This is because volere, as said, is an irregular verb.
That said, let’s look at the present tense conjugation of volere along with its pronunciation.
Present tense conjugation of volere
| io | voglio |
| tu | vuoi |
| lui, lei | vuole |
| noi | vogliamo |
| voi | volete |
| loro | vogliono |
For example, you could say…
Voglio che porti le tue cose fuori da questa stanza.
I want you to take your things out of this room.
Vuoi fermarti a mangiare in un ristorante?
Do you want to stop and eat in a restaurant?
Vuoi un passaggio fino a casa?
Would you like a ride home?
Vogliamo andare in vacanza in Thailandia l’anno prossimo.
We want to go on vacation in Thailand next year.
And that’s the end of our lesson on how to use voglio in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how to use voglio in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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