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when i studied "parcourir" i saw that it usually means working your way from the beginning to the end of something big such as a distance or a job.  i also saw "parcourir un endroit des yeux/du regard" meaning to quickly glance around.  in this scenario, i was wondering how you would respond if you went into a store, art gallery, etc. and were asked if you needed help.  would "je ne veux que regarder" be appropriate?  would "parcourir" be inappropriate?  

since i came across "parcourir un endroit des yeux/du regard" i'm wondering how i would use it.  would it be that i'd say "je n'ai que parcouru des yeux" if asked my impression of a place and i responded that i merely had a quick look?    

i then googled "je l'ai parcouru" thinking i could say this to mean i merely skimmed something i read.  i saw examples in "linguee" that did refer to documents that the speaker hadn't fully examined.  i'm still not sure if i could say "je l'ai parcouru" to mean i just skimmed something.  i'm aware "jeter un coup d'oeil" is an option.  

merci d'avance 

 

  

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Hi Alan.

Ta question est pleine de bon sens! Indeed, you are right to hesitate concerning the whole usage of “parcourir”. To say“parcourir du regard” in all cases only is against-indicated.

Here some real usages according to your questionings.

In an Art gallery/a store :

Someone : - “Bonjour, puis-je vous renseigner ?”

You : - “Non merci, Je regarde.” or “Non merci, je jette un oeil.” or “Non merci, je jette un coup d'oeil.”

Some accuracies : “Je ne veux que regarder” is a too negative phrase. “Non merci, je regarde.” is better and is very common in French.

“since i came across "parcourir un endroit des yeux/du regard" i'm wondering how i would use it.”

“parcourir du regard” is used according to two manners ( even if, in French like in English, the language is never definitively fixed. A language evolves often through each person. ) That is to say, the writting manner and the testimony manner. I explain...

1) The writing manner is by the process to write a novel, that is to say the literature process for instance :

“ Alan venait de rentrer dans le bar. En quelques seconde, Il a parcouru du regard chaque visage avant de trouver son internlocuteur, l'homme qui lui avait donné rendez-vous justement en ce lieu.”

( Alan just came in the pub. During some seconds, he glances each face before to find his interlocutor, precisely the man who given him an appointment in this place. )

2) The testimony manner is by the oral process, but is very close to a telling :

[ After a match, a football player said in front of a microphone : ] “On venait de gagner le match. C'était fabuleux! C'était impressionnant de parcourir du regard tous les gradins où s'exprimait une foule en liesse.”

( We just won the match. It was incredible ! It was sensational to glance all benches around where the crowd was jubilant.” )

 “i'm still not sure if i could say "je l'ai parcouru" to mean i just skimmed something.”

Yes, you can. “parcourir un livre” means exactly that you want to explain in your comment. So we quite can say :

- J'ai parcouru quelques paragraphes de ce livre.

( I skimmed some paragraphs of this book. )

- La lettre que j'ai parcouru n'était pas très interressante.

( The letter that I skimmed was not interesting. )

- En parcourant ce document, j'ai trouvé l'information que je voulais.

( During the skimming of this document, I found the information that I wanted. )

Anyway, Alan, thanks alot. Due to you, today I learned verbs “to skim” and “to glance” in the expression “glance around”.

J'espère, pour ta part, que tu parviendras à parcourir toute mon explication et que tu sauras à l'avenir utiliser “parcourir du regard/des yeux” avec aisance. ;-)

A bientôt.

absolutely.  you're invaluable.  by the way, you also skim (usually fat) off of soup, a sauce, etc.  so whether reading or cooking, you're just scrathing the surface

 

sorry.  scratching

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