Buscar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of buscar — to look for — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Buscar means to look for and to search: buscar las llaves, buscar trabajo, buscar en internet. It is a spelling-changing verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the yo preterite is busqué. It never means to fetch — for that Spanish uses ir a por or recoger. This page gives you the complete present tense table for buscar, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo busco mis llaves por toda la casa.” — “I look for my keys all over the house”.

Present tense conjugation of buscar

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for buscar. Buscar is an irregular -ar verb, so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present tense indicative — buscar

Person Form
yo busco
tú buscas
él/ella/Ud. busca
nosotros/as buscamos
vosotros/as buscáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. buscan

The gerund of buscar is buscando and the past participle is buscado. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of buscar is formed

The present tense of buscar does not follow the regular pattern. If buscar were regular, the present tense forms would be yo → busco, tú → buscas, él/ella/Ud. → busca, nosotros/as → buscamos, vosotros/as → buscáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → buscan — but buscar breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are busco, buscas, busca, buscamos, buscáis and buscan.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, buscáis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of buscar

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with buscar: “Yo busco mis llaves por toda la casa.” — “I look for my keys all over the house”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with buscar: “Ella busca trabajo desde hace meses.” — “She has been looking for work for months”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with buscar: “Nosotros buscamos un piso cerca del centro.” — “We are looking for a flat near the centre”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with buscar: “Ellos buscan información en internet.” — “They look for information online”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: buscar now, buscar later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo busco mis llaves todos los días.” — “I look for my keys every day.”

  • Future: “Yo buscaré mis llaves mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will look for my keys.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella busca mis llaves ahora.” — “She looks for my keys now.”

  • Future: “Ella buscará mis llaves la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will look for my keys.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros buscamos mis llaves en clase.” — “We look for my keys in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros buscaremos mis llaves el lunes.” — “On Monday we will look for my keys.”

Example sentences: buscar in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of buscar, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo busco mis llaves por toda la casa.” — “I look for my keys all over the house.”
  • “Ella busca trabajo desde hace meses.” — “She has been looking for work for months.”
  • “Nosotros buscamos un piso cerca del centro.” — “We are looking for a flat near the centre.”
  • “Ellos buscan información en internet.” — “They look for information online.”
  • “¿Tú buscas algo en especial?” — “Are you looking for something in particular?”
  • “Vosotros buscáis al perro en el parque.” — “You look for the dog in the park.”

Common mistakes with buscar in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Ayer yo buscé mis gafas.

Right: Ayer yo busco mis gafas.

The preterite keeps the k sound with qu: busqué, not buscé.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Buscar por trabajo — wrong preposition.

Right: Ella busca trabajo.

To look for work is buscar trabajo, with no preposition.

Quiz: buscar in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of buscar. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of buscar in the present tense?

  • A) busco
  • B) buscas
  • C) busca
  • D) buscamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is busco.

2. What is the tú form of buscar in the present tense?

  • A) busco
  • B) busca
  • C) buscamos
  • D) buscas

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is buscas.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of buscar in the present tense?

  • A) buscas
  • B) buscamos
  • C) busca
  • D) busco

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is busca.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of buscar in the present tense?

  • A) busca
  • B) buscamos
  • C) busco
  • D) buscas

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is buscamos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ mis llaves por toda la casa.” (I look for my keys all over the house.)

  • A) busco
  • B) buscas
  • C) busca
  • D) buscamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs busco.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ trabajo desde hace meses.” (She has been looking for work for months.)

  • A) busco
  • B) buscas
  • C) buscamos
  • D) busca

Answer: D — The sentence needs busca.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Ayer yo buscé mis gafas.
  • B) Ayer yo busco mis gafas.

Answer: B — The preterite keeps the k sound with qu: busqué, not buscé.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Ella busca trabajo.
  • B) Buscar por trabajo — wrong preposition.

Answer: A — To look for work is buscar trabajo, with no preposition.

Frequently asked questions

Is buscar regular in the present tense?

No. buscar is irregular in the present tense: the forms are busco, buscas, busca, buscamos, buscáis and buscan. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of buscar in the present tense?

It is busco. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for buscar it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of buscar instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of buscar?

Say the six forms aloud in order — busco, buscas, busca, buscamos, buscáis, buscan — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for buscar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo busco…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo busqué…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo buscaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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