souhaiter
/swɛ.te/
The English verb 'to wish' can be translated into French as souhaiter or espérer.
Meaning: to hope for an outcome (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| souhaiter | /swɛ.te/ /swe.te/ |
| espérer | /ɛs.pe.ʁe/ |
The verb souhaiter is used to express a desire or to make formal well-wishes. For example, it is common to use it when writing letters or making official well-wishes, such as saying Je vous souhaite un bon anniversaire (I wish you a happy birthday). The noun form of this verb is souhait, which means 'wish' or 'desire'.
Which one should you use?
souhaiter is more formal and focuses on the expression of a desire or a formal wish. In contrast, espérer is the standard, common verb used when you are 'hoping' for a specific positive outcome to occur.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When souhaiter is followed by a clause starting with que, the verb in that clause must be in the subjunctive mood.
How do you pronounce it?
The word souhaiter is pronounced /swɛ.te/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- French has a specific phrase faire un vœu to describe the act of making a wish, such as when blowing out birthday candles or seeing a shooting star.
- The noun souhait is related to the Frankish word haitan, which meant 'to order' or 'to command'. This suggests that a 'wish' was once seen as a command given to fate.
- If a French speaker says Je souhaite que… followed by a verb in the indicative mood instead of the subjunctive, it can sound like a demand rather than a wish.
Examples in context
- Je souhaiterais être jeune.I wish I were young.This sentence shows how to use souhaiter to express a wish about a state of being.Tatoeba #832191 by U2FS, translation #242080 by CK
- Je souhaiterais que tu sois là.I wish you were here.This sentence demonstrates the use of souhaiter followed by a clause with the subjunctive mood.Tatoeba #6620890 by felix63, translation #3524759 by ConqueRRoR
- Tu souhaiteras ne jamais l'avoir vu.You will wish you had never seen it.This sentence uses the future tense of souhaiter to express a wish about a past event.Tatoeba #470193 by sacredceltic, translation #16549 by Zifre
- Je vous souhaite une excellente journée.I wish you an excellent day.
- Nous vous souhaitons de joyeuses fêtes de fin d'année.We wish you a happy holiday season.
- Je te souhaite beaucoup de succès pour ton examen.I wish you a lot of success for your exam.
- Permettez-moi de vous formuler mes vœux les plus sincères.Allow me to express my sincerest wishes to you.
- Tous nos vœux de bonheur pour votre mariage.All our best wishes for your wedding.
- Je te souhaite un joyeux anniversaire!I wish you a happy birthday!
- Je te souhaite plein de bonheur dans ta nouvelle maison.I wish you lots of happiness in your new home.
- Je te souhaite bon courage pour ton examen.I wish you good luck for your exam.
- Je vous souhaite une excellente soirée en compagnie de vos proches.I wish you an excellent evening with your loved ones.
- Je vous souhaite une bonne réunion.I wish you a good meeting.
- 60 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wish” translations and entries souhaiter, espérer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries espérer, souhaiter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
