Question 1

Why is this sentence using the past tense (Je voulais) when the person is asking for a favor right now?

Accepted Answer

This is the imparfait d'atténuation (the imperfect of politeness). Even though the desire is happening right now, using the imperfect tense makes the request feel less demanding, softer, and more polite. It is very similar to how we say "I was hoping to..." or "I wanted to ask..." in English to avoid sounding too direct.

Question 2

Could I say Je voudrais vous demander une faveur instead? What is the difference?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you absolutely can! Je voudrais uses the conditional mood, which is also very polite. The imperfect (Je voulais) is slightly more conversational and frames the request as a thought that began in the past and led up to this moment. Both are excellent, natural choices for softening a request in French.

Question 3

Why is the pronoun vous placed before demander rather than before voulais?

Accepted Answer

Because vous (to you) is the object of the verb demander (to ask), not vouloir (to want). In French, object pronouns are placed immediately before the specific verb they belong to. Since you are "asking [to] you," the pronoun vous goes right in front of the infinitive demander.

Question 4

I learned that "to ask" is poser. Why are we using demander here?

Accepted Answer

You use poser exclusively for the phrase "to ask a question" (poser une question). For almost everything else—like asking for a favor, asking someone to do something, or asking for an object—you use demander. Therefore, "to ask a favor" translates perfectly to demander une faveur.

Je voulais vous demander une faveur.

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