Spanish grammar · Beginner
Buscar Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Buscar means to look for / to search. Fully regular -ar except preterite yo: busqué (c→qu spelling shift to preserve hard k sound). No preposition before the object in standard Spanish.
Busco trabajo.
I'm looking for work.
What it is
Buscar means to look for / to search / to seek. Fully regular -ar verb except for one spelling quirk: preterite yo is busqué (c→qu before é to preserve the hard k sound). Crucially, no preposition before the object, Busco trabajo (I'm looking for work), not Busco por trabajo.
In Busco trabajo (I'm looking for work), busco is the regular yo present. The for is built into buscar, no preposition needed.
How to spot it
Regular -ar except preterite yo: busqué. All subjunctive forms also take c→qu (busque, busques).
- ¿Qué buscas? — What are you looking for?
- Busqué mis llaves. — I looked for my keys.
- Buscaremos juntos. — We'll search together.
Spanish doesn't add por / a before what you're searching for. Busco trabajo, not Busco por trabajo. The for is built into the verb.
Buscar Conjugation Quick Reference
Buscar at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | busco | busqué | buscaba | buscaré | busque |
| tú | buscas | buscaste | buscabas | buscarás | busques |
| él/ella/Ud. | busca | buscó | buscaba | buscará | busque |
| nosotros | buscamos | buscamos | buscábamos | buscaremos | busquemos |
| vosotros | buscáis | buscasteis | buscabais | buscaréis | busquéis |
| ellos/Uds. | buscan | buscaron | buscaban | buscarán | busquen |
Common Buscar Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Buscar covers searching for things, work, people, and information:
Searching for Things
- Busco mis gafas.
- I'm looking for my glasses.
- Busqué por todas partes.
- I looked everywhere.
- Estamos buscando un buen restaurante.
- We're looking for a good restaurant.
Most common use, searching for lost items, places, things.
Job Search
- Busca trabajo.
- He's looking for work.
- Busqué empleo durante meses.
- I looked for a job for months.
- Buscamos un programador.
- We're looking for a programmer.
Standard for job searches, buscar trabajo / empleo / un puesto.
Looking Someone Up (Buscar A)
- Te busqué en la fiesta.
- I looked for you at the party.
- Buscan al sospechoso.
- They're looking for the suspect.
- Búscame cuando llegues.
- Look for me when you arrive.
Buscar a + person = look for that person. The a is the personal a (mandatory before people).
Online Searching
- Busco información en Google.
- I'm searching for information on Google.
- Busca recetas online.
- She searches for recipes online.
- Buscaron la respuesta en internet.
- They looked up the answer on the internet.
Buscar en + place = search on / in that platform. Modern usage covers Google, internet, social media.
How to Conjugate Buscar Across Tenses
Present, Fully Regular -ar
All forms regular: busco, buscas, busca, buscamos, buscáis, buscan.
Yo busco, tú buscas, él busca, nosotros buscamos, vosotros buscáis, ellos buscan.
I look for, you look for, he looks for, we look for, you all look for, they look for.
Same pattern as canto, miro.
Preterite, Yo Busqué (C→Qu Shift)
Yo preterite is busqué. The c shifts to qu before é to preserve the hard k sound. Other forms regular: buscaste, buscó, buscamos, buscasteis, buscaron.
Busqué mis llaves toda la mañana.
I looked for my keys all morning.
Same shift family as toqué (tocar), saqué (sacar), expliqué (explicar). C → qu before e to keep the sound.
No Preposition Before Object
Buscar takes a direct object without preposition. The for is built into the verb, never use por before what you're searching for.
Busco trabajo. Buscamos un restaurante. ¿Qué buscas?
I'm looking for work. We're looking for a restaurant. What are you looking for?
Spanish has many verbs like this where English uses for: buscar (look for), pedir (ask for), pagar (pay for), esperar (wait for).
Subjunctive, C→Qu Throughout
Present subjunctive: busque, busques, busque, busquemos, busquéis, busquen. Spelling shift c→qu in every form.
Espero que busques bien.
I hope you search well.
Same shift family in subjunctive: toque, saque, explique.
Common Mistakes with Buscar Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo buscé mis llaves. — I looked for my keys. (wrong, needs qu to keep hard k)
Correct: Yo busqué mis llaves. — I looked for my keys.
Preterite yo busqué needs qu to preserve the hard k sound before é. Same shift family as toqué, saqué.
Incorrect: Busco por trabajo. — I'm looking for work. (wrong, no por before the object)
Correct: Busco trabajo. — I'm looking for work.
Buscar already means look for, no preposition needed. Adding por is a common English-to-Spanish translation error.
Incorrect: Te busco. (when referring to looking up info about you) — I looked you up online. (context matters)
Correct: Te busqué online. / Busco información sobre ti. — I looked you up online.
Buscar a + person typically means looking for that person physically. To look someone up online, add online or specify Busco información sobre + person.
Buscar Across Every Tense
Regular -ar verb with one spelling quirk: c→qu before e (preterite yo, all subjunctive forms).
Present (Regular)
Fully regular -ar.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Same regular pattern as canto, miro.
Preterite (Yo Busqué)
Only yo shows c→qu.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Same -qué family as toqué, saqué, expliqué, marqué.
Imperfect (Regular)
Regular -ar imperfect.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Buscaba trabajo todos los días = I used to look for work every day.
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
Future / conditional regular. Subjunctive keeps c→qu in every form.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Past participle buscado is regular.
Buscar Conjugation FAQs
- What does buscar mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Buscar means to look for / to search / to seek. Used for searching for objects (Busco mis llaves), work (Busco trabajo), people (Te busco), and information (Busco en Google). No preposition before the object, the for is built into the verb.
- How does buscar conjugate in the present tense?
- Busco, buscas, busca, buscamos, buscáis, buscan. Fully regular -ar, no irregularities in the present.
- What's the preterite of buscar?
- Busqué, buscaste, buscó, buscamos, buscasteis, buscaron. The yo form shifts c→qu (busqué, not buscé) to preserve the hard k sound. Other forms are regular.
- Do you say buscar por or just buscar?
- Just buscar, no por. Busco trabajo, not Busco por trabajo. The for is built into the verb. Adding por is a common English-to-Spanish translation error.
- How can I get better at conjugating buscar?
- Buscar shows up constantly, searching for lost things, work, info. Exposure to busco / busqué / buscamos in real contexts is the fastest path. Parrot's daily videos feature buscar naturally.