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How to Say ‘I don't mean to bother you’ in French

Je ne voudrais pas vous déranger

zhuh nuh voo-dray pah voo day-rahn-ZHAY

[zhuh nuh voo-dray pah voo day-rahn-ZHAY]

🇫🇷 In France: A polite opener for approaching a stranger at a bar. It signals you'll back off if they're not interested, which French people tend to appreciate.

Phrase Breakdown

Je ne voudrais pas

zhuh nuh voo-dray pah

I wouldn't want

Polite conditional of 'vouloir' with the negation 'ne… pas'. In speech, 'je ne' often blends into 'jeun'. The final 's' of 'voudrais' is silent.

Example

Je ne voudrais pas être en retard.

I wouldn't want to be late.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

[nuh]

not

Used to make a negative.

Example

Je ne sais pas.

I do not know.

voudrais

[voo-dray]

would like

A polite conditional form of vouloir, used to say would like.

Example

Je voudrais une table près de la fenêtre.

I would like a table near the window.

pas

[pah]

not

Used with 'ne' to form a negative.

Example

Je ne comprends pas.

I do not understand.

vous déranger

voo day-rahn-ZHAY

to disturb you

'Déranger' means to bother or disturb. The final '-er' sounds like 'é'.

Example

Désolé de vous déranger.

Sorry to disturb you.

Words in this phrase

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

déranger

[day-rahn-ZHAY]

to disturb

Infinitive verb meaning to bother or interrupt someone.

Example

Désolé de te déranger.

Sorry to disturb you.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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