Je veux te demander un service avant d’ouvrir la porte.

I want to ask you for a favor before opening the door.

Breakdown of Je veux te demander un service avant d’ouvrir la porte.

• je: I
• vouloir: to want
• demander: to ask
• ouvrir: to open
• la porte: the door
• avant de: before
• te: you
• le service: the favor

Questions & Answers about Je veux te demander un service avant d’ouvrir la porte.

Why is te used in this sentence instead of vous?

In French, te is the informal singular object pronoun, used when speaking to someone you know well (a friend or family member). Vous is either formal singular or plural. So you would say Je veux vous demander un service if you’re being polite/formal or addressing more than one person, and Je veux te demander un service if you’re addressing one person informally.

Why do we say demander un service in French, instead of demander pour un service?

In French, the verb demander (to ask) is typically followed directly by its object. You don’t need a preposition like pour in this context. So demander un service literally translates to “to ask a favor/service,” which is more direct in French than the English “ask for a favor.”

What is the purpose of avant d’ouvrir la porte?

Avant de + infinitive (shortened to avant d’ before a vowel) is a French way of saying “before doing something.” Here, avant d’ouvrir la porte means “before opening the door.” The d’ is a contracted form of de + ouvrir to handle the vowel clash.

Why do we write d’ouvrir and not de ouvrir?

This is due to élision, a standard contraction rule in French. When de is followed by a word beginning with a vowel or an h (silent), it contracts to d’. So we get avant d’ouvrir instead of avant de ouvrir.

Is “Je veux te demander un service” considered polite, or is there a more polite alternative?

While Je veux te demander un service isn’t exactly rude, it’s quite direct. A more polite or softer way to phrase it would be Je voudrais te demander un service (“I would like to ask you for a favor”), or J’aimerais te demander un service (“I would love to ask you for a favor”). These forms soften the request.

Can I change Je veux to something else without drastically changing the meaning?

Yes. Using Je souhaiterais or J’aimerais would be a bit more formal or polite. Meanwhile, Je vais te demander un service (“I’m going to ask you for a favor”) simply changes the tense and indicates a near-future action. The key idea of asking for a favor still remains.