j'ai toujours eu or j'avais?

Question

The English is "I have always wanted."  To me, this is a description of an ongoing feeling.  So I think "J'avais toujours eu."  The correct answer is given as "J'ai toujours eu"  To me this is a description of a single event.  Can anybody explain?  Thank you.

Christian Huter · Accepted Answer

I think you meant to write:
"J'avais toujours voulu" (plus-que-parfait) and "J'ai toujours voulu" (passé composé)
This is confusing but the passé composé can actually be used for past frequent or habitual actions, if they are not completed and may still occur in the present. In this case use of the imparfait or plus-que-parfait would be wrong. In the exercise the speaker has always wanted to and still wants to "experience this American tradition". Therefore the passé composé ("J'ai toujours voulu") must be used. Neither the imparfait ("Je voulais toujours") nor the plus-que-parfait ("J'avais toujours voulu") are correct.
"J'avais toujours voulu" is the plus-que-parfait ("I had always wanted") and cannot be applied in this context. It indicates the action happened before another past action. You could use it, if you transformed the whole text into a past-tense narrative ("... In 2024, we would be visiting ... I had always wanted to ...").