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SPANISH VERB

buscar

to look for

  • #40 most used
  • Regular -ar verb
  • Gerund: buscando
  • Past participle: buscado

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I look for
  2. tú you look for
  3. usted, él, ella he/she looks for
  4. nosotros we look for
  5. vosotros Spain you all look for
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they look for

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I looked for
  2. tú you looked for
  3. usted, él, ella he/she looked for
  4. nosotros we looked for
  5. vosotros Spain you all looked for
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they looked for

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to look for
  2. tú you used to look for
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to look for
  4. nosotros we used to look for
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to look for
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to look for

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will look for
  2. tú you will look for
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will look for
  4. nosotros we will look for
  5. vosotros Spain you all will look for
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will look for

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would look for
  2. tú you would look for
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would look for
  4. nosotros we would look for
  5. vosotros Spain you all would look for
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would look for

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I look for
  2. tú (that) you look for
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she look for
  4. nosotros (that) we look for
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all look for
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they look for

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I looked for
  2. tú (if) you looked for
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she looked for
  4. nosotros (if) we looked for
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all looked for
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they looked for

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú look for!
  2. usted look for! (formal)
  3. nosotros look for! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain look for! (all of you)
  5. ustedes look for! (all of you)

How to use buscar

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Busco un departamento cerca del metro.

    I'm looking for an apartment near the subway.

  2. Past

    Busqué mi cartera por toda la casa.

    I looked for my wallet all over the house.

  3. Imperfect

    Buscábamos un lugar tranquilo para cenar.

    We were looking for a quiet place to have dinner.

  4. Future

    Te buscaré en la salida del aeropuerto.

    I will look for you at the airport exit.

  5. Conditional

    Yo buscaría otro hotel más cerca de la playa.

    I would look for another hotel closer to the beach.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Quiero que busques trabajo este mes.

    I want you to look for a job this month.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Me pidió que buscara las llaves en el coche.

    She asked me to look for the keys in the car.

  8. Imperative

    Busca en tu mochila, ahí deben estar.

    Look in your backpack, they must be there.

Good to know

  • Buscar already includes "for": busco mis llaves, I'm looking for my keys.

Where you hear buscar

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 1

  • Busco un regalo para Valeria. I'm looking for a present for Valeria.
  • Busqué mi celular toda la mañana. I looked for my phone all morning.
  • Mañana vamos a buscar un hotel. Tomorrow we're going to look for a hotel.

Spanish · Beginner Level 2

  • Buscamos flores para el altar. We're looking for flowers for the altar.
  • Ayer busqué mi cuaderno en la mochila. Yesterday I looked for my notebook in my backpack.
  • Mañana voy a buscar un libro en el mercado. Tomorrow I'm going to look for a book at the market.
24
I'm Looking for a Present

Beginner Level 1 · busco · buscas

Needs a subscription 22
What Do You Think?

Beginner Level 2 · buscamos

Needs a subscription 11
A Flat That Has Light

Intermediate Level 1 · estoy buscando

Needs a subscription 28
A Call to Boston

Intermediate Level 1 · buscaría

Needs a subscription 10
On the House

Advanced Level 2 · buscaba

Needs a subscription 11
Unless I Fall in Love with Sushi

Advanced Level 2 · te busco

Needs a subscription 9
It Left Me Cold

Advanced Level 3 · estaba buscando

Needs a subscription 9
Full Moon

Fluency Level 1 · Búscala.

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ar verb.