Breakdown of Nous voulions atterrir à Paris, mais il y avait une tempête.
une
a / an (feminine)
mais
but
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
il y a
there is / there are
à
at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)
Paris
Paris
vouloir
to want
la tempête
the storm
atterrir
to land
Questions & Answers about Nous voulions atterrir à Paris, mais il y avait une tempête.
Why use the imparfait voulions instead of the passé composé avons voulu here?
In the imparfait, vouloir simply describes an ongoing state of mind or intention in the past ("we wanted to"). If you used the passé composé (nous avons voulu), it would imply a specific, completed attempt or a sudden decision, which often translates to "we tried to" or "we decided to." Here, their ongoing intention to land was thwarted by the weather.
Based on the tenses used, did the plane actually land in Paris?
Probably not. Using the imparfait voulions indicates that the desire existed, but it crucially doesn't confirm that the action was ever completed. Combined with the obstacle of the storm (mais il y avait une tempête), the strong implication is that their intention was interrupted and they had to land elsewhere.
Why is il y avait also in the imparfait? Could we say il y a eu?
Do we never need a preposition like à or de between voulions and atterrir?
Correct. Vouloir, like the other modal verbs pouvoir (can/to be able to) and devoir (must/to have to), connects directly to an infinitive verb. You never put a preposition between them.
Learn Nous voulions atterrir à Paris, mais il y avait une tempête 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