Breakdown of Nous avions déjà demandé l'indemnité.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
avoir
to have
déjà
already
demander
to ask (for) / to require / demand
l'indemnité (f)
the compensation (f)
Questions & Answers about Nous avions déjà demandé l'indemnité.
Why is it avions demandé instead of avons demandé?
This is the Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense, which translates to "had asked" rather than "have asked" or "asked". It is formed with the imperfect form of the auxiliary verb (avions) plus the past participle (demandé). You use it to show that this action happened before another event in the past.
Why is déjà placed exactly where it is?
In compound tenses like the Plus-que-parfait, short and common adverbs such as déjà (already), bien (well), and souvent (often) are placed directly between the conjugated auxiliary verb (avions) and the past participle (demandé).
Why is there no French word for "for" in this sentence?
The French verb demander inherently means "to ask for" when followed by a noun. Adding a preposition like pour would be incorrect. You simply connect it straight to the direct object: demander l'indemnité.
Does demander imply we were forcefully demanding the money?
No, demander is a classic false friend. It simply means "to ask" or "to request." If you wanted to express an aggressive demand, you would use a verb like exiger.
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