Want, can, must: voglio, posso, devo

Modal + infinitive

Conjugate the modal for the person, then add the second verb exactly as it appears in the dictionary: voglio mangiare, possiamo entrare, devono partire. Only the first verb changes.

Nothing goes in between: no di and no a, even where English has to. Voglio di mangiare and Voglio a mangiare are both wrong.

Check your sentence: if both verbs have a person ending (voglio mangio), change the second one back to the infinitive.

volere: to want

Volere has two stems: vogl- for io, noi and loro (voglio, vogliamo, vogliono) and vuo- for tu and lui/lei (vuoi, vuole). Voi is regular: volete.

You can follow it with a verb (Voglio dormire) or simply with a thing (Voglio un gelato). Vuoi...? is also the friendly way to invite someone: Vuoi venire al cinema?

vorrei: the polite way to ask

In a café, a shop or a hotel, voglio can sound blunt, a bit like a child saying I want. Italians say vorrei (I’d like) instead: Vorrei un cappuccino, per favore.

Vorrei works with a thing or a verb, just like voglio: Vorrei pagare (I’d like to pay). It belongs to a tense you’ll learn later, so for now treat it as a ready-made phrase.

Ordering for two? Say vorremmo: Vorremmo due caffè, per favore.

potere: can and may

Potere changes to poss- for io, noi and loro (posso, possiamo, possono) and pu- for tu and lui/lei (puoi, può). Voi is regular: potete. Notice the accent on può.

It covers permission (Posso entrare? May I come in?) and being able to right now (Non posso venire stasera). With formal Lei it makes a polite request: Può ripetere, per favore?

For skills you’ve learned, Italian uses sapere instead: So nuotare (I can swim, I know how). You’ll meet sapere properly later.

dovere: must, have to

Dovere uses dev- for io, tu, lui/lei and loro (devo, devi, deve, devono). Noi is the odd one: dobbiamo, with a double b. Voi is regular: dovete.

Use it for anything you have to do: work, study, catch a train, turn right. Careful with spelling: deve is he must, but dove means where.

Want, can or must?

Pick the modal by meaning. Voglio is what you want, posso is what you’re able or allowed to do, devo is what you have to do. They often work together: Non posso uscire: devo studiare.

To ask permission, use posso: Posso aprire la finestra? Asking with voglio sounds like a demand.

Saying no, asking, and formal Lei

To say no, put non before the modal: Non voglio partire, Non possiamo venire. To ask a question, keep the same words and raise your voice at the end: Puoi venire domani?

With someone you don’t know, use the lui/lei form for formal Lei: Può portare il conto? (Could you bring the bill?). With a friend it’s Puoi...?

Common mistakes

• Voglio di mangiare.Voglio mangiare.Nothing goes between a modal and its infinitive: no di, no a.
• Posso pago con la carta?Posso pagare con la carta?Only the modal changes; the second verb stays in the infinitive.
• noi doviamonoi dobbiamoThe noi form of dovere is dobbiamo, with a double b.
• noi potiamonoi possiamoPotere uses poss- for io, noi and loro.
• Voglio un caffè. (to a waiter)Vorrei un caffè.To order politely, say vorrei.
• Puoi ripetere? (to a stranger)Può ripetere?Formal Lei takes the lui/lei form: può.
• Marco dove lavorare.Marco deve lavorare.Dove means where; he must is deve.

The full table

Change the modal for the person; the verb after it stays in the infinitive.

No di or a after a modal: posso entrare, voglio mangiare.

With formal Lei, use the lui/lei form: Può ripetere?

Skills you’ve learned use sapere: so nuotare.