Log inSign up

Je demandais une prolongation pour finir avec soin.

Je demandais une prolongation pour finir avec soin.
I was requesting an extension to finish with care.
From Lesson 459:The polite imperfect (je voulais…)·French

Questions & Answers about Je demandais une prolongation pour finir avec soin.

Why is Je demandais in the imperfect tense if the person is making the request right now?
This is the 'imparfait d'atténuation' (imperfect of politeness). By using the imperfect instead of the present tense (Je demande), the request sounds softer, less demanding, and much more polite. It is similar to saying 'I was wondering if I could get an extension' in English.
The translation says 'I was requesting,' but does that mean the action is strictly in the past?
Not necessarily. While it literally translates to a past action, native speakers frequently use this structure for a present request. If you walk into your boss's office today to ask for more time, you would use Je demandais to be polite about what you want right now.
Why is finir in the infinitive form here?
In French, when you use a preposition like pour (meaning 'to' or 'in order to') to show the purpose of an action, it must be followed by a verb in its unconjugated infinitive form. Here, pour finir expresses 'in order to finish'.
Could I use the adverb soigneusement instead of the phrase avec soin?
Yes, saying pour finir soigneusement (to finish carefully) is grammatically correct and means the exact same thing. However, using avec plus a noun is a very common and natural stylistic choice in French to describe how an action is performed.

Learn Je demandais une prolongation pour finir avec soin 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
Start learning French →