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I am looking for vs I was looking for

Both phrases are fine/correct, but they're used in different contexts. 'I am looking for' is used when you're currently searching for something, while 'I was looking for' is used when referring to a past search.
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Explained by Miss E.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 17, 2024 • 18244 views

I am looking for

This phrase is correct and commonly used when you are currently searching for something.

Use 'I am looking for' when you are currently searching for something or someone.

Examples:

  • I am looking for my keys. Have you seen them?
  • I am looking for a new job.
  • I am looking for a good restaurant to eat at tonight.
  • 19 hours ago ... I am looking for a customizable gameplay experience - should I go Romancing Saga 2 or SMTV Vengence ? Question. Hi guys, as the title said I ...
  • Dec 14, 2023 ... I am looking for advice on the best way to learn... Learn more about matlab learning, master matlab programming.
  • Oct 22, 2024 ... I am looking for japanese youtube podcasts, please. I have found so far only learning podcasts on youtube, their are not bad, but I want to ...
  • May 10, 2023 ... I am looking for Christian authors wishing to write and sell to the Christian market. This means that I'm searching for clients who adhere to ...
  • I am looking for a 3dm file format description · openNURBS · windows · LXY (LXY) April 26, 2023, 10:31am 1. Hello everyone, I have been working with ...
  • Sep 2, 2022 ... Hi, I am looking for a company that programs in xls forms in Colombia. Kal_Lam September 2, 2022, 3:34am 2.
  • Sep 13, 2023 ... I am looking for a way to test published links with my Admin account acting as an unlicensed user. Alex C.. 09/13/23 in ...
  • Jan 17, 2019 ... I am looking for friends – perhaps marriage – in an Uber pool, but nobody will talk to me. This article is more than 5 years old. Brigid ...
  • I am looking for an essay critical of OOP on clojuredocs.org · Questions & Help General Questions · lkrubner April 20, 2024, 5:38pm 1. I once read an essay ...
  • May 2, 2017 ... Should I tell my employer I am looking for a new job because my working environment makes me very uncomfortable? Have you told your manager that ...

Alternatives:

  • I am searching for
  • I am trying to find
  • I am in search of

I was looking for

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a past search.

Use 'I was looking for' when talking about a search that you were doing in the past.

Examples:

  • I was looking for my phone when I found it in the living room.
  • I was looking for a book to read last night.
  • I was looking for a solution to the problem.
  • 18 hours ago ... I was looking for the swamp but i found the snow, should i go there? hmmmm. Survival.
  • What I Was Looking for Was Green. By Ruby C. Tapia. June 28, 2021. Facebook · Twitter · Pinterest · WhatsApp. Bloodless categories, narrow notions of the ...
  • Sep 7, 2022 ... Biomarker Testing Gave Me the Chance I Was Looking For. My name is Tom, and I'm a metastatic colon cancer survivor. I was having some ...
  • Mar 12, 2015 ... I was looking for an update on the campaign. Can you get back to me in a day? Is there a difference between "I was looking for ." and "I am ...
  • I Was Looking For Dick and All I Got Was This Lousy Poem, a poem by Torrin Greathouse appearing in Issue 23 of Breakwater Review.
  • Nov 20, 2023 ... What I Was Looking For - were the unsent letters she'd left me years ago.
  • I was looking for you OR I've been looking for you? Gianni Sat Sep 03, 2005 12:48 pm GMT. Hi! Please help me. When we meet someone we've been looking for, ...
  • Sep 21, 2024 ... 68-year-old retiree pays $460 a month to live by a lake in Mexico: 'I found the peace and tranquility I was looking for'
  • Feb 17, 2016 ... I was looking for / I looked for / I searched for / I was searching for Hi! What is the difference with these phrases? I was looking for / I ...
  • Mar 17, 2016 ... I Was Looking for a Job When I Found This One: How to Know When it's Time to Go.

Alternatives:

  • I had been searching for
  • I had been trying to find
  • I had been in search of

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