Contrast between 'I've looked for your glasses everywhere' and 'I looked for your glasses everywhere'

Question

Hi teachers,

Could you please explain to me the difference between the two sentences given below?

1. I have looked for your glasses everywhere, but I haven't found them anywhere.

2. I looked for your glasses everywhere, but I didn't find them anywhere.

I think that "no. 1" suggests that although the person looking for the lost glasses has looked for them everywhere, but he/she still hopes that they may find them if they try looking for them again, whereas "no. 2" suggests that the person looking for the glasses doesn't really hope to find them now. He/she isn't going to look for them again now. In other words, the speaker is suggesting the listener that they should buy new ones now.

..... Is my understanding about the two sentences right, teachers?

Thank you.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

LaboriousI think that "no. 1" suggests that although the person looking for the lost glasses has looked for them everywhere, but he/she still hopes that they may find them if they try looking for them again, whereas "no. 2" suggests that the person looking for the glasses doesn't really hope to find them now. He/she isn't going to look for them again now.

That is a pretty good interpretation. It's just that you're reading a little too much into those sentences, especially the part about "suggesting the listener buy new glasses".

One difference that most learners of English overlook is that the simple past (2) is used to tell a story of what happened a long time ago, or at least earlier than the normal scope of the action described. Looking for lost glasses has a normal time scope of a day or two. I'd say that if the action of looking for glasses and not finding them occurred more than two or three days ago, certainly if it was a month ago or more, the speaker would almost never choose (1).

You're right, though, that if (2) is said within the normal scope of the "looking for lost glasses" activity, then it does give the impression that the speaker has given up hope of finding the glasses.

CJ

Laborious · Answer

CalifJimthe simple past (2) is used to tell a story of what happened a long time ago, or at least earlier than the normal scope of the action described.

Firstly, thanks to you, CJ, for your reply! Actually, It becomes even more difficult for me to understand the reason why a speaker or a writer used one of them when there's no time - word given in a sentence. For example, "Have you had your breakfast?" vs "Did you have your breakfast?". Without mentioning any signal word or an expression of time, It is often difficult, as a learner, for us to decide which tense of these two tenses to choose. The time period or scope for having breakfast is morning, so if it's still morning i.e., the time period within which people have breakfast still continues), then it won't be wrong to say either of them. But If that time period is over, for example now it's afternoon or evening at the moment of speaking, then only the past simple "Did you have your breakfast?" would be correct and natural. Am I right about what I've said, please?

Thank you.

CalifJim · Answer

LaboriousThe time period or scope for having breakfast is morning, so if it's still morning i.e., the time period within which people have breakfast still continues), then it won't be wrong to say either of them.

Right. It's almost impossible in some cases to consider one or the other the "correct" choice. Sometimes it's just a matter of the individual speaker's conceptualization of the passing of time. One speaker may think of breakfast as past history within 15 minutes of having breakfast, while another may think of breakfast as still "current" as long as three hours after breakfast.

If you happen to run into a good friend downtown while shopping one morning, and you haven't had your breakfast yet, but you'd like to go to a nearby restaurant and have breakfast and would like some company, you would probably choose "Have you had breakfast (yet)?" This is a hint to your friend that you're really saying something like "Let's have breakfast together". The question has what is often vaguely referred to as "current relevance", and when a situation has that mysterious quality, you use the present perfect.

I don't know if it's true, but some writers have suggested that time seems to pass quicker for Americans, so where Americans sometimes think of an event as past history quite soon after it happens, the British, in contrast, may think of the same event as still current for a longer period of time. The meanings of the tenses are the same for both, but there is an unconscious difference of opinion about how long the relevance of an event remains current. (I don't think I completely believe all of that, but I thought you might find it interesting to hear it.)

LaboriousBut If that time period is over, for example now it's afternoon or evening at the moment of speaking, then only the past simple "Did you have your breakfast?" would be correct and natural.

True. Once the normal breakfast time is over, there is little chance that anybody would ask "Have you had your breakfast?" On the other hand, the example here is rather academic because there are few cases in real life where you would ask either "Have you ...?" or "Did you ..." later in the day. The exception that comes to mind is a mother asking her small child (in the evening) "Did you have breakfast today?" or "What did you have for breakfast today?" in the case where the child has meals at school, for example.

CJ

Laborious · Answer

CalifJimI don't know if it's true, but some writers have suggested that time seems to pass quicker for Americans, so where Americans sometimes think of an event as past history quite soon after it happens, the British, in contrast, may think of the same event as still current for a longer period of time. The meanings of the tenses are the same for both, but there is an unconscious difference of opinion about how long the relevance of an event remains current. (I don't think I completely believe all of that, but I thought you might find it interesting to hear it.)

Thanks for that, teacher. I think that is the reason why, in some cases (particularly with words such as 'already' or 'yet'), where British people are likely to use the present perfect - Americans might prefer the simple past, as in 'I already did that'.

Contrast between 'I've looked for your glasses everywhere' and 'I looked for your glasses everywhere'

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