How to Say ‘I wanted to talk’ in French
Je voulais parler
zhuh voo-LEH par-LAY
[zhuh voo-LEH par-LAY]
💬 Usage Tip: A polite conversation opener. It sounds gentler than je veux parler ("I want to talk").
🇫🇷 In France: Very natural in France when raising a delicate topic with a teacher or administrator.
Phrase Breakdown
Je voulais
zhuh voo-LEH
I wanted
The imperfect tense of 'vouloir', used here to express a past intention or polite request.
Je voulais vous parler.
I wanted to speak to you.
Words in this phrase
Je
[zhuh]
I
Subject pronoun meaning 'I.'
Je voulais parler avec vous après la réunion.
I wanted to speak with you after the meeting.
voulais
[voo-LEH]
wanted
From 'vouloir'; here it makes the phrase polite: 'I wanted to...'
Je voulais parler de mon fils.
I wanted to speak about my son.
parler
[par-LAY]
to speak; to talk
Infinitive verb meaning to speak or talk.
Je voulais parler avec l'enseignante.
I wanted to speak with the teacher.
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