# FR: je le cherchais / je l'ai cherché



## privatedomain

[...]

Also, anybody could tell me if there is a difference in meaning between these sentences since one has imparfait and the other passe compose:
"Je l'ai cherche et je l'ai trouve" and "Je le cherchais et je l'ai trouve"?
Or are they simply interchangeable? 
Cheers!


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## Doc Justice

"Je le cherchais" as it took a certain amount of time, which ended with "et je l'ai trouvé", which is a ponctual event.

One could say "Tu m'as cherché, tu m'as trouvé" but there the verb as a very different meaning


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## quinoa

The difference between imparfait  and passé composé is based on the point of view of the speaker. Where does he stand to have a look at the events mentioned.
1- "Tu me cherchais, tu m'as trouvé."
2- "Tu m'as cherché, tu m'as trouvé"

In 1, the speaker is as close as possible to the one who is looking for me. Imparfait means the action is seen/shown as "not finished"
In 2, the speaker is looking back to the past, he stands after the events and the action is seen/shown as "over". We, as a reader or listener" are positioned after the event.

Clear!!!???


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## Doc Justice

well I was thinking of #2 more like "You were looking for trouble, and you found me"

but to go your way, let's say I've been looking for something for a long time, and have given up on it, and suddenly the object shows up from nowhere. Then you could say

"Jai longtemps cherché ce truc, et hier je suis tombé dessus par hasard"

Here the passé composé implies that I had given up on finding it.


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## C. E. Whitehead

Je n'aime pas tellement la deuxième phrase ici ("je le cherchais et je l'ai trouvé), au moins sans une expression de duration ("Ca fait longtemps que je le cherchais . . . ", "Je le cherchais pendant un an . . . "; ou sans une expression avec quand dans le passé (passé composé, passé simple: "Je le cherchais quand il ést entré . . . " ).


Mais je ne suis pas française . . . 

Alors???

--cew



privatedomain said:


> Thank you jann! That was great help!
> Also, anybody could tell me if there is a difference in meaning between these sentences since one has imparfait and the other passe compose:
> "Je l'ai cherche et je l'ai trouve" and "Je le cherchais et je l'ai trouve"?
> Or are they simply interchangeable?
> Cheers!


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## privatedomain

quinoa said:


> The difference between imparfait  and passé composé is based on the point of view of the speaker. Where does he stand to have a look at the events mentioned.
> 1- "Tu me cherchais, tu m'as trouvé."
> 2- "Tu m'as cherché, tu m'as trouvé"
> 
> In 1, the speaker is as close as possible to the one who is looking for me. Imparfait means the action is seen/shown as "not finished"
> In 2, the speaker is looking back to the past, he stands after the events and the action is seen/shown as "over". We, as a reader or listener" are positioned after the event.
> 
> Clear!!!???



Thank you all for interesting remarks! 
Just one question regarding the explanation for the first phrase above: How can the action "tu me cherchais" be considered unfinished if we know "tu m'as trouve" so by default it is finished, isn't it? Please help!
Thanks!


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## quinoa

C. E. Whitehead said:


> Je n'aime pas tellement la deuxième phrase ici ("je le cherchais et je l'ai trouvé), au moins sans une expression de duration ("Ca fait longtemps que je le cherchais . . . ", "Je le cherchais pendant un an . . . "; ou sans une expression avec quand dans le passé (passé composé, passé simple: "Je le cherchais quand il ést entré . . . " ).
> 
> 
> Mais je ne suis pas française . . .
> 
> Alors???
> 
> --cew


 "Je le cherchais, je l'ai trouvé." 
I've been  looking for trouble for some  time and I've found him, I've met his match.(Répétition de "look for trouble")
Or I have been looking for it, and I've found it.


"Je l'ai cherché, je l'ai trouvé."
I've looked for trouble, I've found him.
I've looked for it, I've found it

Once more it's a question of point of view and of the standing point of the speaker.


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## privatedomain

Thanks a lot! All is clear now!


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## geostan

The examples and explanations do not seem clear to me.

When you have two verbs in the passé composé, they are usually in sequence.

Je l'ai cherché et je l'ai trouvé. (First I looked and then I found)

When you have an imperfect alongside a passé composé, the imperfect selects a moment inside the duration. That's why sentences such as the following are common:

Je le cherchais depuis deux heures quand je l'ai trouvé.


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## quinoa

Yes, that's definitely right with "je le cherchais depuis... quand..."
But sometimes you can say it without "depuis... quand". Which means many things which remain "unsaid" but proves the question of the point of view is essential.
Right again for the 2 passé composé alongside meaning two actions one after the other...


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## C. E. Whitehead

Merci de vos renseignements! L'exemple que vous avez donné ici me semble être juste!

--cew




geostan said:


> The examples and explanations do not seem clear to me.
> 
> When you have two verbs in the passé composé, they are usually in sequence.
> 
> Je l'ai cherché et je l'ai trouvé. (First I looked and then I found)
> 
> When you have an imperfect alongside a passé composé, the imperfect selects a moment inside the duration. That's why sentences such as the following are common:
> 
> Je le cherchais depuis deux heures quand je l'ai trouvé.


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## C. E. Whitehead

Bonjour:



quinoa said:


> Yes, that's definitely right with "je le cherchais depuis... quand..."
> ..


 
Et on peut dire aussi, “Ca faisait deux heures que je le cherchais quand je l’ai trouvé“???


Merci d'avance,

cew


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## geostan

C. E. Whitehead said:


> Bonjour:
> 
> 
> 
> Et on peut dire aussi, “Ca faisait deux heures que je le cherchais quand je l’ai trouvé“???
> 
> 
> Merci d'avance,
> 
> cew



Oui, ou bien _Voilà deux heures que..._ ou _Il y avat deux heures que..._


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## C. E. Whitehead

Merci, Geostan!

Mais vous voulez dire, "Il y avait deux heures que . . . [je le cherchais]  "??

cew


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## geostan

C. E. Whitehead said:


> Merci, Geostan!
> 
> Mais vous voulez dire, "Il y avait deux heures que . . . [je le cherchais]  "??
> 
> cew



Ah, ces maudits laptops !


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## itka

geostan, je ne suis pas tout-à-fait d'accord avec "_Voilà_ deux heures que je le cherchais". Ce n'est sans doute pas totalement impossible, dans un contexte particulier, mais ce n'est pas habituel et isolé comme ici, ça choque un peu.

"Voilà" se combine généralement avec un présent (c'est un déictique) : _"voilà deux heures que je le cherche"._


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## geostan

itka said:


> geostan, je ne suis pas tout-à-fait d'accord avec "_Voilà_ deux heures que je le cherchais". Ce n'est sans doute pas totalement impossible, dans un contexte particulier, mais ce n'est pas habituel et isolé comme ici, ça choque un peu.
> 
> "Voilà" se combine généralement avec un présent (c'est un déictique) : _"voilà deux heures que je le cherche"._



Itka, tu as raison. J'ai vérifié dans ma grammaire et on ne donne _voilà..._ que pour le présent.


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## L'Inconnu

privatedomain said:


> "Je l'ai cherche et je l'ai trouve" and "Je le cherchais et je l'ai trouve"?


 
In this case, you can imagine that the passé composé corresponds to our simple past tense, while the imparfait corresponds to our past continous tense. Compare these two sentences:

a) When Steve arrived at 6 o’clock we had dinner.
b) When Steve arrived at 6 o’clock we were having dinner. 

In (a) 6 o’clock marks the precise moment in time when we sat down to eat. However, in (b) we already eating dinner when Steve arrived. 

"Tu me cherchais, tu m'as trouvé."
"You were looking for me, (and) you found me."

"Tu m'as cherché, tu m'as trouvé"
"You looked for me, (and) you found me."

The difference is whether or not we perceive the act of looking as an event that occurred at a given moment in time, or as an ongoing activity that was interrupted by a punctual event.


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