Modal verbs in French
Sign up for free to get all information about private lessons and our available group courses (A1, A2, B2, B2, C1, C2)
Sign up for freeWe offer both private lessons and organized group courses
Sign up for free to get all available courses or contact one of our teachers yourself!
ALEXANDRE B.
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Florence F.
18.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Stéphanie D.
30.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Our offer
Modal verbs (les verbes modaux) are generally used to establish a relationship between the subject and an action described by the verb. Because of their importance in the French language, it makes sense to remember these verbs well.
They are among the verbs that end in -oir and are irregular.
Lesson outline
HideTable of the most important modal verbs in French
| Verbs | Translation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | can | Tu peux entrer. (you can come in.) Je peux conduire. (I can drive.) Pouvons-nous parler? (can we talk ?) |
| devoir | have to | Je dois étudier. (I have to study.) Tu dois travailler. (you have to work.) Nous devons revenir. (we have to come back.) |
| vouloir | want | Je veux conduire. (I want to drive.) Tu veux partir ? (do you want to leave ?) Ils veulent devenir riches. (they want to be rich.) |
| savoir | can, know | Sais-tu parler l'italien ? (Can you speak Italian?) Je l'ai su hier. (I knew about it yesterday.) |
You want to know how to conjugate modal verbs? Then take a look at the following pages.
Have a question?
Take online language lessons with a professional teacher
- Native & verified teachers
- Free trial lesson
- Learning materials included
Cristina O. 
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Elise M.
18.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Jessy R. 
20.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Deborah S.
15.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Coralie R.
18.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Jacques Aubin A. 
15.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Manon R.
20.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Lena W. 
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Amandine K.
30.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Evelyn M.
16.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Exercises
Fill in the blank exercise for the modal verbs in French
Exercises
Fill in the blank exercise for the modal verbs in French
What our students say
Unlike in other platforms, all our teachers are manually verified by our professional team. Trust in the experiences of our students.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
E. B.
I’ve worked on my French with Natalia for several weeks now, and I’m enjoying it a lot. I speak a lot during the lessons, which is exactly what I need at the moment. There is always a good balance of working on grammar and practising conversation. I’m looking forward to continue my lessons over the next few months :)
Natalia L.
Eline already speaks and writes very good and we are working towards achieving an advanced level of French. We always have many topics of conversations and I see how she always improves fer French.
Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
S. .
Tiska is giving a great support to my 8 years daughter in this challenging period! We scheduled regularly lessons to improve her French language skill and to review grammars rules in a funny enjoyfull way. Super professional and very kind teacher!
Tiska G.
I want to help people to improve the level of their chosen language.
A. .
I can’t recommend Nancy highly enough. She’s a great teacher. Very patient, flexible and personable.
Nancy C.
thanks for this Anne-Sophie. It is great to have you as a student.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
I. M.
She is a very nice person and a great teacher. She is able to make you learn grammar while speaking and writing. I think that's amazing to find a teacher like her because learning becomes funny and seems to be easy. I hope to learn french as well as she speaks it. I found a teacher and at the same time a friend who lives far form me,that speaks another language and that I couldn't have found in any other way. I absolutely recommend her!
Irene is a great student, I have seen her French improving very fast. She is able to speak about many different topics and give her opinion in a very detailed way. We are working in improving her writing skills and I see how she is doing better and better very quickly. Congratulations for all your work Irene!
Hi, guys! My name is Lucia and I would like to invite you to learn Italian with me.
I am both a native speaker and a QUALIFIED teacher, as I hold a post-graduate degree in “Teaching Italian as a second language” and a national certification as teacher of Italian to not-native speaking.
My teaching method is COMMUNICATION-oriented and involves also the study of Italian culture and grammar. Indeed, as it happens in your mother language, the knowledge of spare words is not enough to get able to speak (i.e. INTERACT!) properly and conveniently.
I’ll prepare for you all teaching materials, tailoring lessons to your needs and interests, taking advantage from both the huge number of textbooks I hold and my creativity!
I offer lessons for all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced, as well as support in preparation to certification exams (I am also qualified ad examiner for the oral part of CELI).
Do not hesitate to get in contact with me to find a suitable time-slot for your trial lesson!
F. D.
Having online lessons with a teacher really helped me to keep up my study pace, and provided me with the essential opportunity to practice speaking (and 'real time' sentence building) to someone, who can also correct me on my pronunciation. On top of that, being a native speaker and current resident in Italy, Lucia also helped me to understand the cultural influences and tricks and habits of the Italian language. I liked that she could recommend a study book and also provided online excercises and assessments from the book, which she could revise as my homework. This provided both me and her with more possibility for feedback during the lessons. Lucia did not speak my native language (Dutch), but this was not a hindrance as we could communicate in English and quite quickly shift to mostly Italian instructions anyway :) The study pace was quite slow in my opinion (i.e. a quarter book lesson per online lesson), as Lucia used this time to make sure the basis was strong, before moving forward perhaps too soon. However, especially for some wider range in 'holiday-sentences' or general vocabulary it was good for me to have some additional excercises/podcasts on the side (or to move forward in the book on your own), to help me learn faster. However, especially with listening to podcasts it was really really good to have the solid (also grammar- and spellingwise) basis of the lessons with Lucia, as additional materials would otherwise never land on 'fertile ground'. The lessons are essential in moving forward with the language. Lucia herself is super nice, patient and open for questions or any input during the lessons, and her cheerfulness makes the studying all the more fun.
Lucia P.
Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
A. .
she have books and she knows how the delf / dalf works, she gives me some advises that i didn't find in youtube video
Hella K.
Hi,
I m claudie , I m french and i have experience to teach french to foreign people.
I create in a school of langage in Spain a little faculty for my french lessons with a group from 15 years olds until 25.
The pupils were all the levels A1 until C2!
I was teaching as well with lillte children and adults in Spain and Rumania.
I m a very dynamic teacher with a lot of patient and empathy.
You will make a lot of progress!
L. T.
Highly recommended, very personable and the lessons are a lot of fun. Claudie is flexible when it comes to class topics. Adapts to your interests or profession. In my case, she adapted the lessons to my employer and integrated the homepage into the lessons (sales). We recommend!
Claudie S.
thank you very much, I really enjoyed the hours spent working French together on many topics and also our laughter !!
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
F. .
We are an Italian family residing in France for 3 months, we have two 10 year old children who have just started attending CM1. We asked Natalia to give the children two lessons a week to speed up their learning. We are super happy with the choice. Nous sommes une famille italienne résidant en France depuis janvier, nous avons deux enfants de 10 ans qui viennent de commencer la CM1. Nous avons demandé à Natalia de leur donner deux leçons par semaine pour accélérer leur apprentissage. Nous sommes super contents de Natalia. We are an Italian family living in France since 3 months, we have two 10 year old children who have just started attending CM1. We asked Natalia to give the kids two lessons a week to speed up their learning. We are super happy with this choice.
Fabrizio's children are learning French very fast, I have the impression that these lessons online have been helpful for them and I am sure they will master the language easily. They are very interested in learning.
1 - If you are looking for a well-structured French program to take you from a beginner level to advanced level to be able to travel to France, i have developed with success my own program which includes 70 worksheets from basic to advance level.
2 - If you are thinking taking any DELF exam, I can help you as I have experience in this field (3 years with Ensemble en Francais - online school).
3 - If you are a VCE French student, I definitively will be able to boost your skills to do well at the exam due to my experience as VCE French teacher and also as a VCE assessor.
4 - Finally I have also an extensive experience in teaching French at the primary and middle school level
R. W.
Francois is teaching our daughter in French at the moment. She is a total beginner and they started from scratch. Both work for one hour daily and agree on homework which is being checked in the next lesson. The lesson via Skype is working well with the exchange of material Skype as well. We can definitely see progress.
Francois D.
Do you want to learn Spanish with a kind and patient teacher? Someone to help you gain confidence and practice the language with topics according to your level and needs? In addition to that ... Do you want to get a study material and corrections? Well, I'm the right teacher for you . My name is Andrea and I'm from South America - Ecuador. I am a full-time Spanish teacher and I have a variety of resources to help you learn Spanish online.
I am currently studying French and I know how beneficial and fun it is to learn with a friendly and patient teacher who teaches you and helps you speak the language with confidence.
If you want to know a little more about me, I invite you to watch this video about reserving a hotel room.
https://youtu.be/d7F7mxOfKmA
G. P.
Andrea is a delightful and brilliant teacher. She has been teaching Spanish since 2018 and her study method is based on the student's level and the goals they want to achieve. In her you will find a prepared, experienced and friendly person. She relies on several books for teaching Spanish and her lessons are creative, very innovative and super interactive. With her you will never be bored.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Andrea H.
Hello,
I am a multilingual teacher with experience in teaching French to German, Japanese, English, Bulgarian and Italian-speaking students, etc. (levels A1 to C1).
I have been teaching French for 8 years in Luxemburg and now in Bulgaria for 4 years, to teenagers, housewives, businessmen, employees, doctors, etc. I can also help you with DELF and DALF preparation. I give lessons via Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams in several countries.
My teaching method for each class : a grammar point together with listening, a lot of speaking with conversation questions or games. While you speak, I write all the new words you need to express yourself, illustrated by pictures or translated in your language.
I do my best to make you feel comfortable to speak and for you to have a pleasant time. According to me, using humour will help you learn more easily.
Whether you need to learn French for business, integration in a French-speaking country or studying, I will be happy to help you. Do not hesitate to contact me for a free trial lesson.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Katia
Great teacher who makes learning language fun. Also good at making you comfortable to speak the language already in the very beginning.
Katia H.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
S. B.
After one lesson, I knew that Natalia would be a great fit for me. She made the conversation fun and stimulating. Natalia was very patient with me. Yet, she also encouraged me to speak french in a way that I had not spoken before. By the end of the lesson, my french stream of conscious was more fluid than it had ever been. I know that each lesson will be the highlight of my week.
Sarah is an excellent student, she is so motivated! She is learning French very fast and each class I see how she is able to speak and understand so much more. I am sure she will be speaking fluently soon!