Veux vs Voudrais?

Question

Sometimes Vouloir (to want) is conjugated as veux at the present tense, but sometimes it is conjugated as veux for the pronoun je. Does this have to do with formality?

Accepted Answer

Hi Ruby,
The present tense (indicatif) of vouloir is Je veux, tu veux ...... (I / you want ..)
This is standard conjugation for vouloir (But subject to context, a bit direct perhaps)
If there is a desire to be more polite (a softer register) then we can say Je voudrais (conditional) -- this translates to "I would like (want) ...."
Hope this helps?
Jim

Answer

Jim's correct. Here's an example:
If you're ordering a coffee, using je veux sounds very forward and can be perceived as impolite. Therefore, the conditional of vouloir is used -- voudrais.
Je veux un café. -- I want a coffee.Je voudrais un café. -- I would like a coffee. (literally: I would want a coffee)