Dictionary / I want you to come
How to Say "I want you to come" in French
Je veux que tu viennes
/ʒə vø kə ty vjɛn/
Literally: I want that you come
Je
I
veux
want
que
that
tu
you
viennes
come (subjunctive)
Formal and plural
Formal or pluralJe voudrais que vous veniez
Je veux que is direct. Je voudrais que softens it considerably and is what you want with anyone you address as vous. Both trigger the subjunctive in the second half.
Correct
Je veux que tu viennes
What people say wrong
Je te veux
I desire you physically
The mistake to avoid. English lets you want a person to do something. French does not: you cannot put a person and an infinitive after vouloir. It has to become je veux que plus the subjunctive, which is why this phrase is where most learners meet the subjunctive for the first time. The reason it matters more than the average grammar point is the fallback. Je te veux is a real sentence and it means I want you in the unmistakably physical sense. The same warning applies to j'ai envie de: fine before a coffee, very much not fine before a person.
In context
Je veux que tu viennes avec nous.
I want you to come with us.
Je voudrais que vous soyez là à neuf heures.
I'd like you to be there at nine.
J'ai envie d'un café.
I feel like a coffee.