voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

The phrase "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" actually appeared before the song, in the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, and a poem by E.E. Cummings. The phrase is puzzling as it uses formal language ("vous" is the formal way to say "you") while describing an intimate act (the phrase literally means "Do you want to come to bed with me?"). This leads many to believe that the phrase is tied with prostitution.

"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" is the formal way of saying "Would you like to come to bed with me this evening", as opposed to the informal "Veux-tu coucher avex moi".

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