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Conjugation Chart

“Buscar” (to look for) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Buscar”

The preterite of buscar is used to express a specific instance of looking for something in the past. For example, you might say “I looked for my keys all morning,” indicating a completed search during a specific time period.

This verb undergoes a spelling change in the first person singular (yo) form of the preterite, where ‘c’ changes to ‘qu’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound. Otherwise, it follows regular -ar verb patterns.

How to Use Buscar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of buscar describes completed acts of searching or looking for something.

Active Search: Used for specific instances of looking for something, for example Busqué mis llaves por todas partes (I looked for my keys everywhere). ¿Qué buscaste en Internet? (What did you search for on the Internet?)

Seeking Goals: Can describe pursuing objectives, for example Buscó la manera de resolverlo (He sought a way to resolve it). Used in expressions like Busqué mi propio camino (I sought my own path).

Real Life Examples of Buscar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Busqué mis llaves por toda la casa. (I looked for my keys throughout the house.)

¿Buscaste en tu mochila? (Did you look in your backpack?)

María buscó trabajo durante meses. (Maria looked for work for months.)

Buscamos un restaurante para cenar. (We looked for a restaurant for dinner.)

Los niños buscaron huevos de Pascua. (The children looked for Easter eggs.)

Busqué información en internet. (I looked for information on the internet.)

El detective buscó pistas en la escena. (The detective looked for clues at the scene.)

Buscamos apartamento todo el verano. (We looked for an apartment all summer.)

¿Dónde buscaste mi regalo? (Where did you look for my gift?)

Ellos buscaron setas en el bosque. (They looked for mushrooms in the forest.)

Busqué mi celular toda la mañana. (I looked for my phone all morning.)

Los turistas buscaron el museo. (The tourists looked for the museum.)

Buscamos una solución al problema. (We looked for a solution to the problem.)

El estudiante buscó el libro en la biblioteca. (The student looked for the book in the library.)

Busqué ayuda profesional. (I looked for professional help.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Buscar (to look for) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.