Breakdown of Ik wilde u niet lastigvallen, maar kon u mij doorverbinden met de baas?
ik
I
u
you (formal)
niet
not
maar
but
Questions & Answers about Ik wilde u niet lastigvallen, maar kon u mij doorverbinden met de baas?
Why are wilde and kon in the past tense if this is a request happening right now?
This is the tentative simple past. Using the past tense makes the request sound more hesitant and therefore much more polite than using the present tense. It is very similar to how English speakers use 'wanted' or 'could' instead of 'want' and 'can' for polite requests.
Why does kon come right after maar, shouldn't the subject u come first?
The word maar is a coordinating conjunction, meaning it sits outside the clause structure in 'position zero' and does not change the word order. The phrase that follows it is a direct question, so it simply uses normal question word order: verb first (kon), then subject (u).
lastigvallen and doorverbinden are separable verbs, so why are they written as single words here?
Separable verbs only split when they are the conjugated active verb in a main clause. Here, they are full infinitives placed at the end of their respective clauses because they follow the modal verbs wilde and kon. As infinitives, the prefix stays firmly attached to the verb.
Why does the sentence use met instead of a literal translation for 'to' when putting me through to the boss?
The Dutch verb for putting someone through on the phone is doorverbinden, and it requires the fixed preposition met (with). You literally ask to be connected through with the boss.