Breakdown of Je venais solliciter votre assistance.
je
I
votre
your (formal/plural)
venir
to come
solliciter
to request
l'assistance
the assistance (f)
Questions & Answers about Je venais solliciter votre assistance.
Why is venais in the imperfect tense if the speaker is standing right there asking for help now?
This is the imparfait d'atténuation (imperfect of politeness). Even though the action is happening in the present, using the imperfect softens the request. It makes it sound less direct and less demanding than saying Je viens (I am here / I have come). It is very similar to how English speakers say "I was wondering..." or "I was hoping..." to sound more polite.
How does the tone change if I just say Je viens solliciter votre assistance in the present tense?
Using the present tense is grammatically correct, but it sounds much more direct. By saying Je viens, you are stating a hard fact: "I am here to ask for your help." In professional or formal situations, the imperfect (Je venais) is preferred because it creates a polite distance, making the listener feel less pressured.
Why is there no preposition (like à or de) between venais and the infinitive solliciter?
Verbs of motion in French, such as venir (to come), aller (to go), descendre (to go down), and monter (to go up), connect directly to a following infinitive without any preposition. This rule applies regardless of whether the verb of motion is in the present, imperfect, or any other tense.
Solliciter translates to "to solicit" in English, which can sound quite strong or oddly formal. Is it normal to use this in French?
Yes, solliciter is much more common in everyday professional and administrative French than "solicit" is in English. While you could use demander (to ask), solliciter translates better to "to request" or "to seek." It elevates your language to a formal register, which perfectly matches the polite tone set by using the imperfect Je venais.
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