Breakdown of Je voulais fuir, mais je trébuche, et mon instinct me fait crier.
je
I
mais
but
et
and
faire
to do, to make
Questions & Answers about Je voulais fuir, mais je trébuche, et mon instinct me fait crier.
Why does the tense switch from the past (voulais) to the present (trébuche, fait)?
This is the présent de narration (historical present). You use the imperfect (voulais) to set the background scene in the past. Then, switching to the present tense for the sudden actions (trébuche, fait crier) makes the story feel much more vivid and immediate, as if the listener is right there experiencing the stumble with you.
Why use the imperfect (voulais) instead of the passé composé (ai voulu) at the beginning?
The imperfect is used here to describe an ongoing state of mind in the background. If you used j'ai voulu, it would sound like a single, completed decision or attempt. The ongoing desire to run away is abruptly interrupted by the sudden action of stumbling.
How does the phrase me fait crier work?
This uses the causative construction, which is formed with faire plus an infinitive. You use it when someone or something causes an action to happen. Notice that the object pronoun me goes right before the conjugated verb (fait), not between the two verbs.