🙋❓

How to Say ‘I wanted to ask’ in French

Je voulais me renseigner

zhuh voo-leh muh rahn-say-NYAY

[zhuh voo-leh muh rahn-say-NYAY]

💬 Usage Tip: Using voulais instead of veux "want" softens the request, just like English "I wanted to." It works with other verbs too: Je voulais savoir "I wanted to know."

Phrase Breakdown

Je voulais

zhuh voo-leh

I wanted / I would like

The imperfect tense, used here to sound polite. '-ais' sounds like 'ay'.

Example

Je voulais vous demander quelque chose.

I wanted to ask you something.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

voulais

[voo-leh]

wanted

Imperfect form of vouloir, often used to sound polite and less direct in emails.

Example

Je voulais vous remercier pour notre discussion.

I wanted to thank you for our discussion.

me renseigner

muh rahn-say-NYAY

to get some information

A reflexive verb meaning 'to inquire'. 'Gn' sounds like the 'ny' in 'canyon', and '-er' sounds like 'ay'.

Example

Je dois me renseigner sur les horaires.

I need to find out about the opening times.

Words in this phrase

[muh]

myself

Reflexive pronoun used with se sentir to express how you feel.

Example

Dans « je me sens », me montre que l'on parle de son propre ressenti.

In 'je me sens,' me shows that one is talking about one's own feeling.

renseigner

[rahn-say-NYAY]

to inform (oneself), to enquire

With 'se', it means to find out or ask for information.

Example

Il faut se renseigner avant de réserver.

You should find out before booking.

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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