je veux visiter
In French, "I want to visit" is expressed as je veux visiter.
This phrase is used to express a desire to go see a place or a monument.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of je (I), veux (want) and visiter (to visit).
Which one should you use?
In French, visiter is used for places, monuments or cities, whereas rendre visite à is used when visiting people.
How does it change in a sentence?
Using the conditional voudrais instead of veux makes the request much more polite and is the standard way to express a wish to a stranger or in a formal setting.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use visiter with people, but in French, visiter is strictly for locations. You must use rendre visite à for people.
Did you know?
- If you tell a French person je veux te visiter, they might feel quite alarmed, as this sounds more like you intend to inspect them physically or even perform a medical examination.
- The word visiter is a 'learned borrowing' from Latin that eventually replaced the original Old French word visder.
- In rapid spoken French, je veux is often contracted to j'veux, blending the subject and verb into a single sound.
Examples in context
- Je veux visiter la Corée.I want to visit Korea.This sentence shows how to use je veux visiter with a country.Tatoeba #554737 by sacredceltic, translation #556616 by Pun_intended
- Je veux visiter New York.I want to visit New York.This sentence shows how to use je veux visiter with a city.Tatoeba #13123968 by Rovo, translation #13124365 by rul
- Je veux visiter l'Estonie.I want to visit Estonia.Tatoeba #4435663 by Aiji, translation #3476767 by Ricardo14
- Je souhaite visiter Paris.I want to visit Paris.
- J'aimerais vraiment visiter les vignobles de BourgogneI would really like to visit the vineyards of Burgundy
- J'aimerais visiter Nice cet étéI would like to visit Nice this summer
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their future vacation plans.
- ChloéJe veux visiter Paris cet été.I want to visit Paris this summer.
- HugoC'est une excellente idée, Chloé.That is an excellent idea, Chloé.
- ChloéEt toi, Hugo, où vas-tu ?And you, Hugo, where are you going?
- HugoMoi, je veux visiter l'Italie.As for me, I want to visit Italy.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, visiter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
