« demander » does NOT mean “to demand”. It is the ordinary word for asking.
Start with the trap, because it never stops catching English speakers: demander means to ask, not to demand. « Je demande un café » is a normal, polite request. The French for “to demand” is exiger, which is far stronger and much rarer.
The verb is a plain regular -ER, and the basic pattern is demander quelque chose — with no preposition before the thing: « je demande l’addition ».
💡 Focus at this level: Basics — asking, not demanding
1. Demander = ask, gently. It carries no aggression at all.
2. No preposition before the thing. « Je demande l’addition », never « demander pour ».
3. « L’addition, s’il vous plaît » is the real restaurant phrase — but knowing the verb lets you build others.
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