A woman stands in a brightly lit, empty hallway, cupping her hands around her mouth and calling out while looking intently down the hall, searching for another person.

buscarla

boos-KAR-lah

Verb (Infinitive form with attached pronoun)A2regular (stem-changing in 'yo' preterite for sound) ar

to look for her?referring to a person,to search for it?referring to a feminine object (e.g., the key, the car)

Also:to seek her/it?more formal context

Quick Reference

infinitivebuscar

gerundbuscándola

past Participlebuscada

📝 In Action

Tienes que buscarla en la biblioteca.

You have to look for her (or it, like 'the book') in the library.

Voy a salir para buscarla antes de que cierre la tienda.

I'm going to leave to look for it (the item) before the store closes.

No puedo encontrar mi mochila; necesito buscarla ahora mismo.

I can't find my backpack; I need to look for it right now.

Word Connections

Synonyms

encontrarla (to find her/it)
localizarla (to locate her/it)

Antonyms

perderla (to lose her/it)

Common Collocations

tener que buscarla – to have to look for her/it
poder buscarla – to be able to look for her/it

💡 Grammar Points

What 'buscarla' means

This word is a combination of the action ('buscar' = to look for) and the direct object ('la' = her or it, if the thing is feminine). It means 'to look for her/it'.

Attaching Pronouns

When you use an infinitive (the 'to...' form of the verb), you usually attach the small pronoun ('la', 'lo', 'me', 'te') directly to the end, forming one single word.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Pronoun Placement

Mistake: "La voy a buscar. (When using two verbs)"

Correction: Voy a buscarla. OR La voy a buscar. (Both are correct, but attaching it to the infinitive, 'buscarla', is often smoother and more common.)

Spelling Change for Sound

Mistake: "Yo buscó (in the past tense)"

Correction: Yo busqué. (The spelling changes from 'c' to 'qu' in the 'yo' form of the past tense to keep the hard 'k' sound.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Stress Shift

When you add pronouns to the end of an infinitive, the natural stress of the word usually stays on the last syllable of the base verb (busCARla), so you don't need a written accent mark.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: buscarla

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'buscarla' to refer to 'la llave' (the key)?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

buscar(to look for (infinitive)) - verb

búsqueda(search/quest) - noun

buscándola(looking for her/it (gerund form)) - verb (gerund)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the pronoun 'la' attached to the end of 'buscar'?

Spanish grammar requires that direct object pronouns ('la', 'lo', 'me', 'te') be attached to the end of infinitives (like 'buscar'), gerunds (like 'buscando'), and affirmative commands (like 'búsquela').

Can I separate 'la' from 'buscarla'?

Yes, but only if you move the pronoun before the main conjugated verb. For example, instead of 'Quiero buscarla,' you can say 'La quiero buscar.' You cannot put it between the two parts of the infinitive.