The preterite of buscar is used to express when someone looked for something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I looked for my keys all morning” – “Busqué mis llaves toda la mañana.”
This is a -car spelling-changing verb in the preterite tense. The ‘c’ changes to ‘qu’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound, which happens in the yo form (busqué).
Conjugations
Conjugations of Buscar (to look for) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | busqué |
| Tú | buscaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | buscó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | buscamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | buscasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | buscaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Buscar (to look for) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Buscar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of buscar indicates completed searches or attempts to find something.
To look for/search: Describes a completed search, for example Busqué mis llaves por toda la casa (I looked for my keys throughout the house), or Buscaron una solución al problema (They looked for a solution to the problem).
To seek out/pursue: Used for actively pursuing something, for example Busqué su ayuda (I sought their help).
Examples
Examples of Buscar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Busqué las llaves por toda la casa. (I looked for the keys throughout the house.)
¿Dónde buscaste mi celular? (Where did you look for my cell phone?)
El detective buscó pistas en la escena. (The detective looked for clues at the scene.)
Buscamos un restaurante para cenar. (We looked for a restaurant for dinner.)
Los científicos buscaron evidencia de vida extraterrestre. (The scientists searched for evidence of extraterrestrial life.)
Busqué trabajo durante tres meses. (I looked for work for three months.)
¿Buscaste en internet la información? (Did you search for the information online?)
La policía buscó al sospechoso toda la noche. (The police searched for the suspect all night.)
Buscamos apartamento en el centro. (We looked for an apartment downtown.)
Los rescatistas buscaron sobrevivientes. (The rescuers searched for survivors.)
Busqué una solución al problema. (I looked for a solution to the problem.)
¿Por qué no buscaste ayuda? (Why didn’t you look for help?)
El equipo buscó la victoria hasta el final. (The team sought victory until the end.)
Buscamos inspiración en la naturaleza. (We sought inspiration in nature.)
Los estudiantes buscaron referencias en la biblioteca. (The students looked for references in the library.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Buscar (to look for) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo busqué | I looked for |
| Tú buscaste | You looked for |
| Él / Ella / Usted buscó | He / She / You (formal) looked for |
| Nosotros / Nosotras buscamos | We looked for |
| Vosotros / Vosotras buscasteis | You all looked for |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes buscaron | They / You all (formal) looked for |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.