Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Buscar in Spanish
To search (for), to look (for) Irregular Verb
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Buscar
- Buscar in the Indicative Present
- Buscar in the Indicative Preterite
- Buscar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Buscar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Buscar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Buscar in the Indicative Future
- Buscar in the Indicative Conditional
- Buscar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Buscar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Buscar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Buscar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Buscar
- Buscar in the Subjunctive Present
- Buscar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
- Buscar in the Subjunctive Future
- Buscar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
- Buscar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
- Buscar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
- Imperative tenses of Buscar
- Buscar in the Imperative Affirmative
- Buscar in the Imperative Negative
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Buscar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Buscar is the Spanish verb for "to search (for), to look (for)". It is an irregular verb. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
| Spanish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | buscar | to search (for), to look (for) |
| Past participle | buscado | searched |
| Gerund | buscando | searching |
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Indicative Tenses of Buscar
Buscar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of buscar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "busco", meaning "I search".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | busco | I search |
| Tú | buscas | you search |
| Ella / Él / Usted | busca | s/he search, you (formal) search |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | buscamos | we search |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscáis | you (plural) search |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | buscan | they search, you (plural formal) search |
Buscar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of buscar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "busqué", meaning "I searched".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | busqué | I searched |
| Tú | buscaste | you searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | buscó | s/he searched, you (formal) searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | buscamos | we searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscasteis | you (plural) searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | buscaron | they searched, you (plural formal) searched |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Buscar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of buscar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "buscaba", meaning "I used to search".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | buscaba | I used to search |
| Tú | buscabas | you used to search |
| Ella / Él / Usted | buscaba | s/he used to search, you (formal) used to search |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | buscábamos | we used to search |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscabais | you (plural) used to search |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | buscaban | they used to search, you (plural formal) used to search |
Buscar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of buscar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy buscando", meaning "I am searching".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy buscando | I am searching |
| Tú | estás buscando | you are searching |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está buscando | s/he is searching, you (formal) are searching |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos buscando | we are searching |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis buscando | you (plural) are searching |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están buscando | they are searching, you (plural formal) are searching |
Buscar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of buscar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a buscar", meaning "I am going to search".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a buscar | I am going to search |
| Tú | vas a buscar | you are going to search |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a buscar | s/he is going to search, you (formal) are going to search |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a buscar | we are going to search |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a buscar | you (plural) are going to search |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a buscar | they are going to search, you (plural formal) are going to search |
Buscar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of buscar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "buscaré", meaning "I will search".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | buscaré | I will search |
| Tú | buscarás | you will search |
| Ella / Él / Usted | buscará | s/he will search, you (formal) will search |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | buscaremos | we will search |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscaréis | you (plural) will search |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | buscarán | they will search, you (plural formal) will search |
Buscar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of buscar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "buscaría", meaning "I would search".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | buscaría | I would search |
| Tú | buscarías | you would search |
| Ella / Él / Usted | buscaría | s/he would search, you (formal) would search |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | buscaríamos | we would search |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscaríais | you (plural) would search |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | buscarían | they would search, you (plural formal) would search |
Buscar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of buscar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he buscado", meaning "I have searched".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he buscado | I have searched |
| Tú | has buscado | you have searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha buscado | s/he has searched, you (formal) have searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos buscado | we have searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis buscado | you (plural) have searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han buscado | they have searched, you (plural formal) have searched |
Buscar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of buscar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había buscado", meaning "I had searched".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había buscado | I had searched |
| Tú | habías buscado | you had searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había buscado | s/he had searched, you (formal) had searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos buscado | we had searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais buscado | you (plural) had searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían buscado | they had searched, you (plural formal) had searched |
Buscar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of buscar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré buscado", meaning "I will have searched".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré buscado | I will have searched |
| Tú | habrás buscado | you will have searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá buscado | s/he will have searched, you (formal) will have searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos buscado | we will have searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis buscado | you (plural) will have searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán buscado | they will have searched, you (plural formal) will have searched |
Buscar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of buscar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the future but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría buscado", meaning "I would have searched".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría buscado | I would have searched |
| Tú | habrías buscado | you would have searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría buscado | s/he would have searched, you (formal) would have searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos buscado | we would have searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais buscado | you (plural) would have searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían buscado | they would have searched, you (plural formal) would have searched |
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Subjunctive Tenses of Buscar
Buscar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "busque", meaning "I search".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | busque | I search |
| Tú | busques | you search |
| Ella / Él / Usted | busque | s/he search, you (formal) search |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | busquemos | we search |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | busquéis | you (plural) search |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | busquen | they search, you (plural formal) search |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Buscar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "buscara", meaning "I searched".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | buscara | I searched |
| Tú | buscaras | you searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | buscara | s/he searched, you (formal) searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | buscáramos | we searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscarais | you (plural) searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | buscaran | they searched, you (plural formal) searched |
Buscar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. For example, "buscare", meaning "I will search".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | buscare | I will search |
| Tú | buscares | you will search |
| Ella / Él / Usted | buscare | s/he will search, you (formal) will search |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | buscáremos | we will search |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscareis | you (plural) will search |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | buscaren | they will search, you (plural formal) will search |
Buscar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya buscado", meaning "I have searched".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya buscado | I have searched |
| Tú | hayas buscado | you have searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya buscado | s/he has searched, you (formal) have searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos buscado | we have searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis buscado | you (plural) have searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan buscado | they have searched, you (plural formal) have searched |
Buscar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera buscado", meaning "I had searched".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera buscado | I had searched |
| Tú | hubieras buscado | you had searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera buscado | s/he had searched, you (formal) had searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos buscado | we had searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais buscado | you (plural) had searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran buscado | they had searched, you (plural formal) had searched |
Buscar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. For example, "hubiere buscado", meaning "I will have searched".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere buscado | I will have searched |
| Tú | hubieres buscado | you will have searched |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere buscado | s/he will have searched, you (formal) will have searched |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos buscado | we will have searched |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis buscado | you (plural) will have searched |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren buscado | they will have searched, you (plural formal) will have searched |
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Imperative Tenses of Buscar
Buscar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "busque", meaning "(to you formal) search!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | busca | (to you) search! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | busque | (to you formal) search! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | busquemos | let's search! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | buscad | (to you plural) search! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | busquen | (to you plural formal) search! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Buscar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no busque", meaning "(to you formal) don't search!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no busques | (to you) don't search! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no busque | (to you formal) don't search! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no busquemos | let's not search! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no busquéis | (to you plural) don't search! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no busquen | (to you plural formal) don't search! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Example sentences and usage
- Si buscas las letras, realmente no significan mucho. If you look at the lyrics, they don't really mean much.
- Busca las palabras en tu diccionario. Look up the words in your dictionary.
- He encontrado exactamente lo que buscabas. I found the very thing you had been looking for.
- No busques mi ayuda excepto en caso de emergencia. Don't look to me for any help except in case of emergency.
Downloadable cheat sheets
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