How do you say "I wanted to bring something nice." in French?

"I wanted to bring something nice." in French is "Je voulais apporter quelque chose de sympa.". This phrase is commonly used in France.

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How to Say ‘I wanted to bring something nice.’ in French

Q: What does "Je voulais apporter quelque chose de sympa." mean in English?

"Je voulais apporter quelque chose de sympa." means "I wanted to bring something nice." in English. Usage tip: After [quelque chose], French uses [de] before an adjective: [quelque chose de sympa], [quelque chose de bon], [quelque chose d'utile]. It is one of those patterns worth memorizing whole.

Je voulais apporter quelque chose de sympa.

zhuh voo-leh ah-por-teh kel-kuh shohz duh sam-pah

[zhuh voo-leh ah-por-teh kel-kuh shohz duh sam-pah]

💬 Usage Tip: After [quelque chose], French uses [de] before an adjective: [quelque chose de sympa], [quelque chose de bon], [quelque chose d'utile]. It is one of those patterns worth memorizing whole.

Phrase Breakdown

Je voulais apporter

zhuh voo-leh ah-por-teh

I wanted to bring

Imperfect tense of vouloir, describing a past desire or intention.

Example

Je voulais apporter un livre.

I wanted to bring a book.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

The French subject pronoun for speaking about yourself.

Example

Je voulais être poli avec vos parents.

I wanted to be polite with your parents.

voulais

[voo-leh]

wanted

Imperfect form used here to sound gentle and thoughtful.

Example

Je voulais faire bonne impression.

I wanted to make a good impression.

apporter

[ah-por-teh]

to bring

Used for bringing a present or item to someone.

Example

Je peux apporter des fleurs ce soir.

I can bring flowers tonight.

Quelque chose

kel-kuh shohz

something

An indefinite pronoun meaning an unspecified thing.

Example

Je cherche quelque chose.

I am looking for something.

Words in this phrase

quelque

[kel-kuh]

some

Part of the expression quelque chose, meaning something.

Example

Je cherche quelque idée originale.

I am looking for some original idea.

chose

[shohz]

thing

With quelque, it forms something.

Example

Cette chose vient de chez nous.

This thing comes from our home.

De sympa

duh sam-pah

nice / pleasant

Sympa is informal and means nice, friendly, or pleasant. Here it describes quelque chose.

Example

C'est une idée sympa.

It's a nice idea.

Words in this phrase

[duh]

Used before an adjective after something, nothing, anything, etc.

Example

Il y a quelque chose de drôle ici.

There is something funny here.

sympa

[sam-pah]

nice

Informal word meaning nice, kind, pleasant, or cool depending on context.

Example

Votre famille a l'air très sympa.

Your family seems very nice.

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