Question 1

Why use the imperfect voulions if the speakers want to submit the request right now?

Accepted Answer

This is the polite imperfect, or imparfait d'atténuation. Using the imperfect softens the statement so it sounds less demanding than the present tense nous voulons (we want). It is very similar to how we say "We were hoping to..." or "We wanted to..." in English to be polite.

Question 2

Could we use the conditional nous voudrions instead of the imperfect here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, both are polite ways to soften a request. Nous voudrions (we would like) is the classic polite request you learned early on. The imperfect nous voulions focuses a bit more on the background reason for your presence or action, sounding a bit like "The reason we came is that we were wanting to..."

Question 3

Is there a difference between une requête and the more common word une demande?

Accepted Answer

Une requête is more formal and is typically used in administrative, legal, or official contexts. If you are just asking a friend for a favor or making a standard everyday request, you would use une demande.

Question 4

How does the verb soumettre relate to the basic verb mettre?

Accepted Answer

Soumettre is composed of sous (under) and mettre (to put). Literally, it means "to put under." In this sentence, you are figuratively placing your request under an authority's consideration. Because it belongs to the same family, it is conjugated exactly like mettre.

Nous voulions soumettre une requête.

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