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When asking for a favor or requesting assistance, the present tense can feel abrupt. To soften your requests and sound more respectful, French uses the imperfect tense (*l'imparfait*).

### The Polite Imperfect

Known as the *imparfait d'atténuation* (imperfect of politeness), this structure uses a past tense to express a **present** desire or intention. By pushing the action slightly into the past, you create a polite distance.

You will frequently hear this with the verbs **vouloir** (to want) and **venir** (to come).

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### Stating Your Purpose

You can apply this polite distance to verbs that explain why you are calling, visiting, or inquiring. Common verbs used in the polite imperfect include **se demander** (to wonder), **chercher** (to look for), **appeler** (to call), and **espérer** (to hope).

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### Professional Requests

This phrasing is highly useful in professional and administrative settings. Whether you are asking for an extension, modifying a quote, or seeking a recommendation, the polite imperfect ensures you strike the perfect tone of respect.

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The polite imperfect (je voulais…)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and elision (le, la, l')

Indefinite articles (un, une)

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
the favor	la faveur
I wanted to ask you a favor.	Je voulais vous demander une faveur.
to request	solliciter
the assistance (f)	l'assistance
I was coming to request your assistance.	Je venais solliciter votre assistance.
the request (formal, legal)	la requête
We wanted to submit a request.	Nous voulions soumettre une requête.
I was wondering if my request was possible.	Je me demandais si ma requête était possible.
the quote	le devis
I was looking for the quote.	Je cherchais le devis.
You wanted a quote; here is ours.	Vous vouliez un devis ; voici le nôtre.
the confirmation	la confirmation
the modification	la modification
I was calling to ask for the confirmation of the modification.	J'appelais pour demander la confirmation de la modification.
We wished to bring a modification to it.	Nous souhaitions y apporter une modification.
the cancellation (f)	l'annulation
I was hoping for the cancellation of this meeting.	J'espérais l'annulation de cette réunion.
the extension	la prolongation
I was requesting an extension to finish with care.	Je demandais une prolongation pour finir avec soin.
I was coming for the cancellation or the extension.	Je venais pour l'annulation ou la prolongation.
I wanted a favor; I didn't receive the confirmation.	Je voulais une faveur ; je n'ai pas reçu la confirmation.
the recommendation	la recommandation
I was calling to request a recommendation.	J'appelais pour solliciter une recommandation.
I was asking for a recommendation; here is mine.	Je demandais une recommandation ; voici la mienne.
We wanted your confirmation and your assistance.	Nous voulions votre confirmation et votre assistance.