Je veux offrir un cadeau à Paul.

I want to give a gift to Paul.

Breakdown of Je veux offrir un cadeau à Paul.

• je: I
• Paul: Paul
• vouloir: to want
• à: to
• le cadeau: the gift
• offrir: to give

Questions & Answers about Je veux offrir un cadeau à Paul.

Why is it un cadeau instead of une cadeau?

In French, cadeau is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine article un. If it were a feminine noun, you would use une.

What does offrir mean compared to other verbs like donner?

Offrir specifically means to offer or to give as a gift. Donner simply means to give, which can be more general.

Why does the sentence use à Paul?

In French, you need a preposition to indicate to whom the gift is being offered. À Paul means you are giving the gift to Paul.

When should I use Je veux versus Je voudrais?

Je veux is more direct, literally I want. Je voudrais is more polite and translates roughly to I would like.

How can I make this sentence more polite?

You could say Je voudrais offrir un cadeau à Paul. Changing veux to voudrais conveys a more courteous tone.