The imparfait beyond time: politeness, hypothesis, and suggestion.
« Je voulais vous demander… » — nothing past about it; the imparfait softens the request. Same family as « je venais voir si… ».
« Et si on partait ce week-end ? » (how about leaving?) — hypothesis and invitation, no past meaning at all. Mastering these non-temporal uses is pure C1.
💡 Suggestion et politesse — aucun sens passé !
At C1 you’re refining style: choosing between correct options for tone and precision. Notice how native writers and speakers deploy this, and imitate deliberately.
Feeling shaky? Step back to Passe Compose Vs Imparfait at B2. Comfortable? Level up to Passe Compose Vs Imparfait at C2.
Et si on ___ (aller) au cinéma ? (suggestion)
allait
Je ___ (vouloir) vous demander… (polite) (softener)
voulais
Encore une minute et je ___ (rater) le train ! (near-miss)
ratais
🧩 Sentence builder rebuild the negation