Inklingo

How to Say "searched" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word forsearchedis buscadouse 'buscado' as the past participle when forming compound tenses with 'haber', such as the present perfect ('he buscado' - I have searched) or the pluperfect ('había buscado' - I had searched)..

English → Spanish

buscado

boo-SKAH-doh/busˈkaðo/

VerbA1General
Use 'buscado' as the past participle when forming compound tenses with 'haber', such as the present perfect ('he buscado' - I have searched) or the pluperfect ('había buscado' - I had searched).
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 searched 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

VerbA1General
Use 'buscó' for the third-person singular preterite tense, indicating a completed action of searching performed by 'he', 'she', or 'it' in the past.

Examples

Él buscó sus llaves por toda la casa.

He searched for his keys throughout the whole house.

Past Participle vs. Preterite

The most common mistake is confusing 'buscado' (past participle, used with 'haber') with 'buscó' (preterite tense, a standalone past action). Remember, 'buscado' needs an auxiliary verb like 'haber', while 'buscó' is a complete verb form on its own.

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