Translation
to want, wish; be willing
Examples
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I want to hear the truth.
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The soldiers want to remain on the mountain.
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The father wanted to send his son.
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I do not know what he wants.
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The king wanted to see the city.
Volo, velle, volui is irregular and has no fourth principal part, no passive and no imperative: you cannot order somebody to want something. The present tense is worth learning as a block, because volo, vis, vult, volumus, vultis, volunt refuses to follow any conjugation, and the subjunctive switches stem entirely to velim and vellem.
Two traps. First, there is a second volo, volare, volavi, "to fly", first conjugation and perfectly regular, so volat is "he flies" while vult is "he wants". Second, the second person singular vis is spelled exactly like the noun vis, "force" (rank 163), and only the sentence tells you which you have. The negative partner is nolo, nolle, nolui, and malo is "want more, prefer" - all three share the same broken paradigm. English voluntary, volition, benevolent and malevolent sit on the stem, and Latin voluntas is its abstract noun.
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volo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "volo" (to want, wish; be willing): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 5.