voudrions

Voudrions is the first-person plural form of the verb vouloir in the present conditional mood in French. It translates to we would like or we would want and is used to express a wish, a polite request, or a hypothetical situation. For example: Nous voudrions réserver une table. Nous voudrions en savoir plus.

Conjugation and form: The conditional present uses the stem voyant from the future form of the verb and the standard imperfect endings. For vouloir, the stem is voudr-, so the form is nous voudrions. The other present conditional forms are tu voudrais, il voudrait, nous voudrions, vous voudriez, ils voudraient. This mood often appears in polite requests or tentative statements.

Usage and nuance: Voudrions conveys a softer, more courteous tone than the simple present vouloir and is common in formal or courteous conversation. It can also introduce hypothetical situations: Si nous étions disponibles, nous voudrions assister à la réunion. Phrasal usage such as nous voudrions bien is a common idiom meaning we would really like to, or we would be willing to.

Common pitfalls: The form should not be confused with voudrait (third person singular) or voudriez (second person plural). The presence of the pronoun is necessary in spoken French to indicate subject, but the conditional form lui-même implies the subject nous when used as voudrions.

See also: Vouloir, conditionnel mood, polite French expressions.