Inklingo

How to Say "looked for" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “looked for” is “buscado” — use 'buscado' as the past participle when forming compound tenses like the present perfect (haber + buscado) to indicate an action completed in the past that may have relevance to the present..

English → Spanish

buscado

boo-SKAH-doh/busˈkaðo/

VerbA1general
Use 'buscado' as the past participle when forming compound tenses like the present perfect (haber + buscado) to indicate an action completed in the past that may have relevance to the present.
A child kneeling in a grassy field, using a magnifying glass to closely examine the ground, indicating a search.

Examples

Hemos buscado las llaves por toda la casa.

We have looked for the keys throughout the whole house.

Ella había buscado una solución antes de rendirse.

She had searched for a solution before giving up.

Forming Perfect Tenses

This form ('buscado') is paired with the verb 'haber' (to have) to talk about actions completed in the past: 'He buscado' (I have searched).

buscó

/boos-KOH//busˈko/

VerbA1general
Use 'buscó' (preterite tense) when describing a completed action of searching for something or someone at a specific point in the past.
A person kneeling on a green lawn, peering through a large magnifying glass at a small golden key hidden in the grass.

Examples

Él buscó sus llaves por toda la casa.

He looked for his keys throughout the whole house.

Ella buscó una solución al problema.

She sought a solution to the problem.

Who performed the action?

The ending -ó tells us that one person (he, she, or you-formal) did the searching in the past.

The 'Personal A'

If the person looked for a human being, you must put the word 'a' after 'buscó'. Example: 'Buscó a su hermana'.

The Missing Accent

Mistake: “busco”

Correction: buscó

Past Participle vs. Preterite

Learners often confuse 'buscado' and 'buscó' because both relate to the past. Remember that 'buscado' is a participle used with 'haber' to form perfect tenses, while 'buscó' is a simple past tense verb describing a completed action.

Related Translations

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