#chocster

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

void anchorBOT
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Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

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Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

mint cape
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imo, recent past yes. but you've since stopped wanting if you are using voulais.

Je voulais un permis de conduire, mais je ne le veux pas.
I wanted a drivers licence, but i don't want it

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in this context i would have used voudrais (would - conditional), "Oui, je n'ai pas très faim, mais je voudrais les essayer"

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Because in this context it seems as though that you still want to try them, and that is not voulais is say.

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If you decide to not want to, but you used to want them, then it would be voulais. Like "Hmm... Je voulais seulement 2 macarons, mais je voudrais essayer un pain au chocolat aussi, merci." - "I wanted 2 macarons, but I would like to try a pain au choalat also"

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However, this is just my opinon, do take this with a grain of salt, and if a native corrects me, even better so we both learn from this. Hopefully this is correct.

fallen tartan
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I can definitely see that perspective too

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Both make sense to me but I'm interested to see what a native would actually use in conversation if they were to express that sentiment

mint cape
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I guess in the English mind set, you're getting them already, so this 'want' is in the past as youre desires are being met

fallen tartan
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Right, that's pretty much where I'm coming from

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Or really that you're describing why, in the past, you asked for only two

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Rather than your current motivation for wanting just two

mint cape
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But in French, when you use imparfait its most definitely in the past. even close, you can say "Comme je disais" even if it was a sentence ago

fallen tartan
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I'm aware of that yes

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I know I could just avoid the dilemma by phrasing the sentence differently but I'm curious

mint cape
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So am I, I gave the best I could... Let's see what they say 👀

charred tundra