Inklingo

How to Say "looking for" in Spanish

The Spanish word forlooking foris buscandoA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1
Verb Form (Gerund)A1
describing an ongoing search
A small, colorful storybook illustration of a focused person kneeling down, lifting up a sofa cushion and peering underneath, illustrating the action of searching for something lost.

Examples

Estoy buscando mis llaves.

I am looking for my keys.

¿Qué estás buscando?

What are you looking for?

Pasé la tarde buscando información en la biblioteca.

I spent the afternoon searching for information in the library.

The Spanish '-ing' Form

buscando is the Spanish equivalent of adding '-ing' to 'look for'. It's a special form called a gerund (gerundio) that describes an action in progress. You'll almost always see it paired with a form of the verb estar (to be).

It Never Changes

One great thing about buscando is that it always stays the same, no matter who is doing the action. It's buscando for 'I', 'you', 'he', 'she', or 'they'. The verb estar is the one that changes: Estoy buscando, Estás buscando, Están buscando.

Adding an Unnecessary 'for'

Mistake:Estoy buscando por mis llaves.

Correction: Just say `Estoy buscando mis llaves.` In Spanish, the verb `buscar` already includes the idea of 'for,' so you don't need to add another word like `por`.

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