French Phrase
Je voulais prendre rendez‑vous.
Meaning
Literally, “I wanted to make an appointment.” The speaker is expressing a past intention to schedule a meeting, often before confirming the exact time or place.
When to use
Use this sentence when you are calling or emailing someone to indicate that you had the intention to set up a meeting, especially if you are now following up or asking for a slot.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jevoulaisprendrerendez‑vous.
Imparfait of vouloir
‘voulais’ is the imparfait of ‘vouloir’ and expresses a past desire or intention that was not necessarily fulfilled.
Infinitive after vouloir
When ‘vouloir’ is followed by another verb, the second verb stays in the infinitive (e.g., ‘voulais prendre’).
Rendez‑vous (noun)
‘rendez‑vous’ is a masculine noun meaning ‘appointment’; it is always written with a hyphen and takes the article ‘un/ le’.
Pronunciation liaison
In spoken French, a liaison occurs between ‘voulais’ and ‘prendre’: /vulwa pʁɑ̃dʁ/.
🗨In Conversation
Je voulais prendre rendez‑vous.
I wanted to make an appointment.
Bien sûr, quel créneau vous conviendrait ?
Sure, which time slot would suit you?
✕Common Mistakes
Je voulais à prendre rendez‑vous.
‘vouloir’ never takes ‘à’ before an infinitive; the infinitive follows directly.
Je voulais prendre rendez vous.
The noun is always hyphenated: ‘rendez‑vous’. Without the hyphen it looks like two separate words.
Je voulais prendre le rendez‑vous.
When you are speaking about a specific appointment already scheduled, you would use ‘le rendez‑vous’; here you are expressing the intention to set one up, so the article is omitted.
↔Alternatives
Je souhaiterais fixer un rendez‑vous.
I would like to set up an appointment.
J’aimerais prendre un rendez‑vous.
I would like to make an appointment.
Je veux prendre rendez‑vous.
I want to make an appointment.
Cultural Tip
In French professional settings, it is polite to propose a few specific time slots when you say you want a rendez‑vous. Also, remember that ‘rendez‑vous’ can refer to both formal business meetings and informal get‑togethers, but the tone of your request should match the context – use ‘je souhaiterais’ for very formal situations.