voulons

Voulons is the first-person plural present tense form of the French verb vouloir, meaning "we want." It is used to express a desire, intention, or decision shared by the speaker and the people addressed. In normal sentences, the subject is Nous, and the verb agrees: nous voulons.

Etymology and forms: Vouloir comes from Old French voler/vouloir, with roots in Latin volēre, meaning "to wish" or "to will." The form voulons reflects regular conjugation patterns of this irregular verb in the present tense, alongside other familiar forms such as veux, veux, veut, voulons, voulez, veulent.

Usage and nuances: In everyday French, voulons conveys a straightforward statement of collective desire or intention, as in Nous voulons comprendre le problème (We want to understand the problem) or Nous voulons partir demain (We want to leave tomorrow). The expression can also appear in exhortative or literary contexts as part of a more formal or archaic tone; in modern everyday speech, more common ways to propose action include Allons (let’s go) or structures with vouloir used in a polite request, such as Voulez-vous…? or Je voudrais… (I would like…). The literal imperative-like use of the form voulons in questions or exhortations is rare and tends to be stylistic rather than practical.

Examples: Nous voulons apprendre le français. Nous voulons obtenir plus d'informations. For ordinary proposals, French speakers typically use Allons-y or Faisons-le rather than Voulons-nous, which sounds archaic in contemporary speech. See also related forms of vouloir (veux, veux, veut, voulons, voulez, veulent) and the broader family of volitional expressions in French.