Do Not Want: nolo

Level 3

Do not want, followed by an infinitive.

How It Works

PersonLatinEnglish
InoloI do not want
younon visyou do not want
he, shenon vulthe does not want
wenolumuswe do not want
you allnon vultisyou all do not want
theynoluntthey do not want

Nolo grew from ne volo. Non volo is also found, with the same meaning.

Other tenses are regular: nolebam (I did not want) and nolui (I did not want, I have not wanted).

A good pair to learn is volo and nolo: Volo cantare, sed nolo saltare means I want to sing, but I do not want to dance. Nolo. alone is a way to refuse: I do not want to.

Examples (5)

  1. Nolo venire.

    I do not want to come.

    Nolo is the I form, and venire is the infinitive.

  2. Marcus legere non vult.

    Marcus does not want to read.

    The he form is two words, non and vult.

  3. Nolumus dormire.

    We do not want to sleep.

    Nolumus is the we form.

  4. Pueri in schola manere nolunt.

    The boys do not want to stay at school.

    Nolunt is the they form.

  5. Nolo peccare.

    I do not want to sin.

    The infinitive peccare says what the speaker refuses.

Common Mistakes

  • Pairing nolo with the wrong subject.

    Tu nolo venire.
    Tu non vis venire.

    Nolo is the I form. For you the words are non vis.

  • Treating nolo like a first conjugation verb.

    Marcus nolat legere.
    Marcus legere non vult.

    Nolo is irregular. He does not want is non vult.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Do Not Want: noloLevel 3

Learn This First

Nolo is built from non and volo.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

nolovolo