J'amerais versus je voudrais

Decades ago, when I lived in Geneva, I asked for things starting with j'amerais (excuse any spelling issues--I am mostly learning French to speak it.) Can someone explain any nuances between those two ways of asking for something? My guess is that my previous way of asking was more informal. But I just want to make sure there would not be times when it would simply be impolite.

Of course, that is j'aimerais.

Bonjour Doris! Biensûr, écoutez the words "j'aimerais" and "je voudrais" don't have a huge difference. Your hunch is quite right, "je voudrais" is slightly more formal and would be used more if you didn't know the person you were talking to and the place was - for want of a better word - a little posh. Either way, they are interchangeable and both can be used in most contexts. I too would use "j'aimerais" more often than "je voudrais" J'espère que cela vous aide! - I hope this helps! - Marie-Claire