J'ai vraiment l'impression de voyager . . . pourquoi pas present vs. passe compose?

Stephen N.C1Kwiziq community member

J'ai vraiment l'impression de voyager . . . pourquoi pas present vs. passe compose?

All of this is in the present (with the exception of one other passe compose (a dish that i've tasted) & one subjunctive).   Why is the sentence "I really feel like I am travelling to the Roaring Twenties" translated using passe compose?

My first thought was that the narrator in this sentence moved into a memory, hence the past--that is, she once HAD that impression when in Paris.  But, the same could be said for other sentences: "What I like above all, (it) is the relaxed atmosphere . . "   It seems all of these sentences relate an ongoing feeling or attitude toward La brasserie La Coupole, so I don't understand why the passe compose is used in this sentence.

Asked 2 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

The way I read the text, it describes something that started in the past and is still ongoing in the present: namely the appreciation for the café. The sentence about the Roaring Twenties is also in present tense, if you look carefully:

Avoir l'impression... -- to have the impression...

J'ai vraiment l'impression de voyager . . . pourquoi pas present vs. passe compose?

All of this is in the present (with the exception of one other passe compose (a dish that i've tasted) & one subjunctive).   Why is the sentence "I really feel like I am travelling to the Roaring Twenties" translated using passe compose?

My first thought was that the narrator in this sentence moved into a memory, hence the past--that is, she once HAD that impression when in Paris.  But, the same could be said for other sentences: "What I like above all, (it) is the relaxed atmosphere . . "   It seems all of these sentences relate an ongoing feeling or attitude toward La brasserie La Coupole, so I don't understand why the passe compose is used in this sentence.

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