# FR: I have found it difficult



## Ti Bateau

Am I right in thinking that this would be the simple past (sp), or perhaps even the imperfect (imp), in English versus the present perfect (pp)?

Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin.
I found it difficult getting up in the morning. (sp)/ I used to find it difficult getting up in the morning. (imp)
I have found it difficult getting up in the morning. (pp)

Would this latter English present perfect sentence be translated into the present in French?
Il m'est difficile de me lever le matin.

Merci d'avance.

*Moderator note:* Threads merged. Please don't duplicate your threads.


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## Kerrilynn

Bonjour, 

I agree with the simple past or the imperfect in your first sentence.
Maybe the present perfect allude to something that let us know it was difficult getting up THIS morning (for example bags under the eyes) but to me it doesn't refer to the past habit you mention in your examples. 

In that perspective, I won't either use the present perfect to describe the idea of something regular in the present, I would prefer "I am used to finding it difficult getting up in the morning" or "I find it difficult getting up in the morning". 

So I can't see any translation for "I've found it difficult getting up in the morning" into the present in French. If someone else has an idea ...


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## Ti Bateau

Thank you Kerrilynn; so in summary, 'il m'a été' should be translated using a past tense. 
Perhaps I should make a separate post for 'I have found it difficult', which would be referring to something that happened in the past & continues to the present, i.e. the simple present perfect.


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## Ti Bateau

In the following sentence, how would one translate the English present perfect into French - would one use the present or the simple past, or otherwise?

I have found it difficult accepting where I live.
Il m'est difficile d'accepter où j'habite.
Il m'a été difficile d'accepter où j'habite.


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## Mr Swann

‎
‎Les deux phrases sont correctes ! Mais....

Il m'est difficile d'accepter où j'habite.
*.... Et je ne m'y suis toujours pas fait * ‎
‎
‎
Il m'a été difficile d'accepter où j'habite.

‎*... mais maintenant je m'y suis fait * 

À toi de voir ce que tu veux exactement dire !


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## Ti Bateau

As the original sentence uses the English present perfect, it means that the difficulty that happened in the past is still happening in the present ... 
So I would use the first option: 
I have found it difficult accepting where I live.
Il m'est difficile d'accepter où j'habite.

(I can understand the sense of '*.... Et je ne m'y suis toujours pas fait' *but I am not familiar with this phrase?)


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## Kerrilynn

[…] but for something that happened in the past and still continues (if you have no reason to think it's over), I would say "I *would* find it difficult getting up in the morning"


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## Ti Bateau

Thank you Kerrilynn, but I am English, so not looking for the English version, just wondering how the French would translate our present perfect. 
& I presume you are using 'I would...' as in 'I used to find it difficult' (past imperfect - finished action) versus the conditional sense of would?
A better example to illustrate the present perfect is:
For several years now, I have found it difficult getting up in the morning. (I did several years ago, & still do to the present)

I hope that helps; & I have indeed created another thread & found that the English present perfect would be translated into the present tense in French.


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## Nicomon

A near literal translation of : _Il m'a (toujours) été difficile de me lever le matin _ would be :  
_It has (always) been difficult for me to get up in the morning. 
_
Familiar, for :_   For several years now I have found...
Ça fait des années que j'ai du mal à me lever le matin / que je trouve ça dur de me lever le matin._


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## Nicomon

This is in reply to post #6.

The issue here is that _I find it difficult to accept _would also be translated as  :
_- Il m'est difficile d'accepter... / J'ai de la difficulté à accepter...
_
What difference do you make in English between both ?
Wouldn't  _I find it difficult_ also mean that it is still happening in the present / that you still find it hard to accept living there?
And if so, why complicate it with the present perfect? 

_Et je ne m'y suis toujours pas fait =  Et je ne m'y suis pas encore habitué_


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## janpol

Je n'arrive toujours pas à me faire à l'endroit où j'habite.
Je n'arrive toujours pas à m'habituer à l'endroit où j'habite.


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## Mr Swann

Maybe the Best translation would be



> Il m'a été difficile d'accepter où j'habite et cela l'est encore...


Wich does mean 


> as long as I can remember ‎I can't get used to it and it is still true


‎
‎

 ‎



> l m'est difficile d'accepter où j'habite.
> .... Et je ne m'y suis toujours pas fait ‎






> l m'est difficile d'accepter où j'habite.
> .... and I still dont get used to it... ‎‎


 ‎
‎
‎


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## janpol

Mr Swann said:
			
		

> Il m'a été difficile d'accepter où j'habite et cela l'est encore...


Je vois là une contradiction : 1) cela a été difficile mais je me suis habitué à l'endroit où j'habite 2) je ne suis toujours pas habitué. Quelle est la nature grammaticale de "où" ?
la phrase : "Je n'arrive toujours pas à me faire à l'endroit où j'habite." englobe le passé et le présent.


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## Reynald

BTB said:


> *Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin.*
> I found it difficult getting up in the morning. (sp)/ I used to find it difficult getting up in the morning. (imp)
> I have found it difficult getting up in the morning. (pp)
> 
> Would this latter English present perfect sentence be translated into the present in French?
> *Il m'est difficile de me lever le matin.*


Je ne trouve pas non plus _Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin_ suffisant. Il me semble qu'avec ce passé composé on aurait habituellement (et nécessairement ?) une précision temporelle, soit _Il m'a été difficile de me lever *ce* matin_, soit (d'accord avec l'ajout de Nico) _Il m'a *longtemps/toujours* été difficile de me lever le matin._
Sinon, pour une affirmation générale, sans autre précision, ce serait le présent : _Il m'est difficile de me lever le matin._

Pour le passé composé, et puisque nous sommes chez Proust dans un autre fil, on a un exemple célèbre qui comporte justement cette précision temporelle : _Longtemps, je me suis couché de bonne heure._
Traduit par :
- For a long time I used to go to bed early. (Première traduction par Scott Moncrieff)
Ou (nouvelles traductions) :
- For a long time I would go to bed early.
- For a long time, I went to bed early.
Proust, Lost in Translation


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## Nicomon

J'ai répondu aux « _Il m'est difficile de » / « Il m'a (toujours) été difficile de »,_mais je trouve nettement plus naturel de dire :

_J'ai du mal/de la difficulté à...
Je n'ai jamais pu m'habituer à me lever tôt le matin.  Je suis plus du genre hibou que coq. _

Les suggestions de janpol sont aussi très naturelles à mon avis. Je modifierais ainsi  - je ne crois pas que _ toujours_ soit essentiel au présent :
_Je n'arrive pas à me faire / à m'habituer... 
Je ne suis toujours pas arrivé à m'habituer / je n'ai pas encore pu m'habituer..._


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## Ti Bateau

Thank you all for your interesting contributions. 
Nicoman asked the question: why complicate it with the present perfect? 
I personally think that the English present perfect indicates immediately when the action occurred, & that it isn't a temporary event, without having to add 'jamais'/'toujours' etc.
If reading a text/autobiography in French by someone still living, how would I know whether the action was finished or not, as the passé composé can be translated by the English simple past or present perfect? This is where my confusion began & despite all the numerous helpful posts, I still find it difficult to decipher.

Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin.
I found it difficult getting up in the morning.
I have found it difficult getting up in the morning.

??????


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## Nicomon

@ BTB : My question was related to your example _I have found it difficult accepting where I live._
I was asking for the nuance between simple present  "I *find *it difficult" and  present perfect "I *have found* it difficult" which you said is continuing in the present. 
Not between simple past and present perfect. 

As I wrote before, in an attempt to help you understand the structure, a literal translation would be : 
*Il* *m'*a toujours été difficile de me lever *le* matin *=* *It* has always been difficult *for me *to get up in the morning

But as Reynald wrote - and I agree - you can't get away with « toujours » in French, for the sentence to mean that it continues in the present.  
I suggest that you read his post again.   


Incidentally, it's Nicom*o*n (don't ask).    I'm not a man.


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## Ti Bateau

Thank you Nicom*o*n; but my latter question essentially refers to a situation where it is given in French (without any hints - toujours/jamais) & I have to decipher the tense in English???? 
Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin.
I found it difficult getting up in the morning.
I have found it difficult getting up in the morning.

??????


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## ShaggyVinny

Not sure what your problem is. 
I think it really depends what you mean when you say it. 

-> "Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin", implying you had trouble getting up at some point in the past but now it's over: *I found it difficult getting up in the morning *
-> "Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin", implying you've had trouble getting up until now:* I have found it difficult getting up in the morning* 

Without any additional information about the context, I believe both are correct. I don't know if this helps...


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## Nicomon

_Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin = It has been difficult for me to get up in the morning  / I found it difficult getting in the morning. _

Without the specification, it means to me :   _J'ai eu du mal / de la difficulté à me lever le matin  _(e.g. : _tout le temps que j'ai été là / pendant mon séjour_).
It is not continuying in the present.

*Edit :* Cross posted with ShaggyVinny.  BTB, if you're translating something, then may be you should provide the surrounding sentences, to get better help.


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## ShaggyVinny

To give you somewhat of an answer though, when people just throw in a sentence like this one in a conversation, it seems to me they usually go with the past simple form of the verb. So in this case, *I found it difficult getting up in the morning* seems to be more likely if no context is mentioned.


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## Ti Bateau

Thank you Nicomon & ShaggyVinny.
All I want to know is whether the action is over or not; does this person *still* find it difficult getting up in the morning?
Il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin.
Nicomon says that this action is NOT continuing to the present; BUT, ShaggyVinny, your second example shows that it could continue to the present - this is where my problem lies .


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## Ti Bateau

Out posts crossed, ShaggyVinny ... so in conclusion to your #21, I should opt for the simple past - completed action?


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## Reynald

Let's imagine a context :

- Alors, ça s'est bien passé ton travail d'été ?

- Oui, mais il m'a été difficile de me lever le matin !


BTB said:


> I should opt for the simple past - completed action?


Yes, the action is not continuing  to the present (that _passé composé_ in your sentence is not similar to an English present perfect here, although its structure is the same).

(And like Nico, I would more naturally say : _Oui, mais j'ai eu du mal à me lever le matin_).


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## Ti Bateau

Thank you Reynald, your extra example is useful.


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