Breakdown of Tu as écrit que ta petite-fille voulait un chien.
un
a / an (masculine)
tu
you (informal singular)
le chien
the dog
avoir
to have
ton
your (ton, ta, tes)
vouloir
to want
écrire
to write
que
that (introducing a clause)
la petite-fille
the granddaughter
Questions & Answers about Tu as écrit que ta petite-fille voulait un chien.
Why is voulait in the imparfait instead of the present tense?
This is the sequence of tenses in action. The original message was likely in the present tense: "Ma petite-fille veut un chien" (My granddaughter wants a dog). Because the verb reporting this is in the past (tu as écrit), the present tense veut shifts back a step into the past, becoming the imparfait voulait.
Does petite-fille just mean "little girl"?
Why do we use que here?
In French, the conjunction que (meaning "that") is strictly required to connect the main clause (Tu as écrit) to the reported speech (ta petite-fille voulait un chien). Unlike in English, where you can often drop "that" and just say "You wrote your granddaughter wanted a dog", you can never drop que in French.
What is the infinitive of the verb écrit in this sentence?
It comes from the irregular verb écrire (to write). Here it is used in the passé composé (tu as écrit), combining the auxiliary verb avoir with the past participle écrit.
Learn Tu as écrit que ta petite-fille voulait un chien and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free