demander at A2 — the past tenses
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The person you ask arrives behind « à ».
Who did you ask?
The full pattern is demander quelque chose à quelqu’un: « j’ai demandé l’heure à un passant ». English says “I asked a passer-by the time” with no preposition; French insists on à before the person.
This is the mirror image of English word order, which is why it needs practice rather than translation. The thing asked comes first; the person always follows à.
💡 Focus at this level: Past — asking someone something
👨🏫 How to use « demander » at this level
1. Thing, then « à » + person. « J’ai demandé un conseil à mon frère. »
2. Use « lui » to replace the person. « Je lui ai demandé. »
3. Never « demander quelqu’un ». That means to ask FOR someone, a different thing entirely.
J’ai demandé l’heure à un passant.I asked a passer-by the time.
Je lui ai demandé son avis.I asked him/her for their opinion.
Tu as demandé à ta mère ?Did you ask your mother?
Ils ont demandé de l’aide.They asked for help.
🎮 Practise « demander »
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