What are the modal verbs in French?

The modal verb vouloir (meaning to want) is used in the French present tense and present conditional mood to express desire and volition. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced French learner (or an ABBA fan!), you have probably heard the question Voulez-vous… ? (meaning Do you want…?). You likely have also heard or used the expression Je voudrais... (meaning I would like…) to ask for something politely. Here’s a reminder of the conjugations of vouloir in the present tense and present conditional in French:

What if you want to express desire or volition in the past or future? Click here to check the conjugation of vouloir (meaning to want) in all tenses.

Vouloir can be paired with a noun or with an infinitive verb. It is when paired with an action verb that vouloir becomes a modal in French:

The modal verbs pouvoir and savoir, followed by an infinitive, express a physical or intellectual ability. They can both be translated as “to be able to” or “can.” Like vouloir, they are commonly used in the indicative present and conditional present as modal verbs.

• Quick recap on the conjugations of pouvoir:

  Indicative present tense (can)
  je peux tu peux il, elle, on peut nous pouvons vous pouvez ils, elles peuvent

  Conditional present tense (could)
  je pourrais tu pourrais il, elle, on pourrait nous pourrions vous pourriez ils, elles pourraient

• Quick recap on the conjugations of savoir:

  Indicative present tense (know how, can)
  je sais tu sais il, elle, on sait nous savons vous savez ils, elles savent

  Conditional present tense (would know how, could)
  je savais tu savais il, elle, on savait nous savions vous saviez ils, elles savaient

Click here to check the conjugation pouvoir in all tenses, and here for savoir.

What’s the difference between “Il peut faire la roue” and “Il sait faire la roue”? Can you see the difference in the following three sentences?

• Il peut faire la roue.

  Translation: He can do a cartwheel.
  

  → physical ability

• Il peut faire la roue en cours d’EPS.

  Translation: He is allowed to do a cartwheel in P.E.
  

  → permission

• Il sait faire la roue.

  Translation: He knows how to do a cartwheel.
  

  → learned ability

The modals devoir and falloir express a necessity, a need, or an obligation. You can translate them as “must, need, have to.” Falloir is special in the sense it can only be conjugated with the impersonal pronoun il (meaning it). They are both used with an infinitive, although the impersonal phrase il faut que in French requires the subjunctive.

Devoir and falloir are often used in the present indicative and conditional tenses as modal verbs. Let’s recap their conjugations:

• Quick recap on conjugations of devoir:

  Indicative present tense (must)
  je dois tu dois il, elle, on doit nous devons vous devez ils, elles doivent

  Conditional present tense (should)
  je devrais tu devrais il, elle, on devrait il, elle, on devrait nous devrions ils, elles devraient

• Quick recap on conjugations of falloir:

  Indicative present tense (must)
  il faut

  Conditional present tense (should)
  il faudrait

Click here to check the conjugation devoir in all tenses. And here for falloir.

Remember, the meaning of devoir and falloir slightly changes depending on the tense or mood they are in. Can you tell what the difference is between Je dois y aller, Je devrais y aller, and J’aurais dû y aller? Which one expresses a regret, an obligation, or a necessity?

• Je dois y aller.

  Translation: I must go.

  → obligation

• Je devrais y aller.

  Translation: I should be going.

  → necessity

• J’aurais dû y aller.

  Translation: I wish I had gone.

  → regret

Now that we have reviewed the different modal verbs in French, you are all set! In this post, we’ve focused on using French modals in the present tenses, but check out our table to see how modal verbs are conjugated in the past tenses in French, as well. Have a look at the table below to keep in mind the most important tips to master French modals. And, don’t forget to explore how to express doubt, obligation, and advice in French using modal verbs!