Breakdown of Je voudrais payer maintenant, est-ce que c'est possible ?
je
I
être
to be
ce
it / this (with être)
maintenant
now
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
vouloir
to want
payer
to pay
possible
possible
je voudrais
I would like
Questions & Answers about Je voudrais payer maintenant, est-ce que c'est possible ?
Why use Je voudrais instead of just saying Je veux (I want)?
Why is the verb payer in its dictionary form instead of being conjugated?
In French, when you have two verbs together like "would like to pay", only the first verb (voudrais) is conjugated to match the subject (Je). The second verb (payer) stays in its unconjugated dictionary form (the infinitive).
What exactly does the phrase est-ce que do in this sentence?
Est-ce que literally means "is it that". It is a very common "question word" used to turn a regular sentence into a yes-or-no question. By putting it in front of c'est possible (it is possible), it creates the question "is it possible?".
Why is it written as c'est rather than ce est?
When the word ce (meaning "it" or "this") comes right before a word starting with a vowel, like the verb est (is), the letter "e" is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. This helps the words flow smoothly together when spoken.
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