Learn French: Je voudrais une part de gâteau. - I would like a slice of cake.

Je voudrais une part de gâteau.

I would like a slice of cake.

Breakdown of Je voudrais une part de gâteau.

of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)

the share, the portion

Questions & Answers about Je voudrais une part de gâteau.

This lesson is about the pronoun en. How would I change this sentence to say "I would like a slice of it"?

You replace de gâteau with the pronoun en. Because en goes right before the verb, it becomes J'en voudrais une part. Notice that we still keep the quantity expression une part at the end.

Why is it de gâteau instead of du gâteau?

After a specific quantity or portion, like une part (a slice), you always use exactly de (or d') without the definite article. If you were asking for an unspecified amount of cake, you would use the partitive article and say Je voudrais du gâteau (I would like some cake).

Could I say un morceau de gâteau instead?

Yes! Un morceau means a piece, while une part specifically means a slice or a share of something divided. For a cake, pie, or pizza, une part is the most natural word for a single serving slice.

Is voudrais just another tense of vouloir?

Yes, voudrais is the conditional form of vouloir (to want). It translates to "would like." We use it here instead of Je veux (I want) because it is much more polite when asking for something or ordering food.