Chercher in the Present Tense in French

Introduction

Chercher means “to look for”, and this page covers exactly one thing: chercher in the present tense. The present is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for chercher, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about chercher in the present. For example: “Je cherche mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” — “I look for my keys in the living room every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of chercher exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Chercher in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je cherche
tu cherches
il/elle cherche
nous cherchons
vous cherchez
ils/elles cherchent

Gerund: cherchant · Past participle: cherché

The gerund is cherchant, which you use after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is cherché, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: the je form of the present perfect is ai cherché, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how chercher is used.

How the present of chercher is formed

The present of chercher follows the regular -er pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je cherche, tu cherches, il/elle cherche, nous cherchons, vous cherchez, ils/elles cherchent. The nous and vous forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.

The present stem also feeds other tenses: the imperfect is built from the present nous form, and the present subjunctive is built from the present ils form, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. The gerund cherchant and the participle cherché belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise chercher in every tense.

When to use the present of chercher

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use chercher in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Looking for my keys in the living room — the everyday use

Chercher is the verb for looking for my keys in the living room. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Je cherche mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” — “I look for my keys in the living room every day.”

2. Looking for a good restaurant in Paris — a second everyday use

Chercher also covers looking for a good restaurant in Paris. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Tu cherches un bon restaurant à Paris tous les jours.” — “You look for a good restaurant in Paris every day.”

3. Looking for a job since June — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use chercher for looking for a job since June. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Il cherche un travail depuis juin tous les jours.” — “He looks for a job since June every day.”

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and chercher is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Nous cherchons mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” — “We look for my keys in the living room every day.”

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with chercher in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Vous cherchez un bon restaurant à Paris tous les jours.” — “You look for a good restaurant in Paris every day.”

Present Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as tous les jours or hier, while the imperfect sentences use autrefois or quand. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present: “Je cherche mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” — “I look for my keys in the living room every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Je cherchais mes clés dans le salon autrefois.” — “I used to look for my keys in the living room in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Tu cherches un bon restaurant à Paris tous les jours.” — “You look for a good restaurant in Paris every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Tu cherchais un bon restaurant à Paris autrefois.” — “You used to look for a good restaurant in Paris in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Nous cherchons un travail depuis juin tous les jours.” — “We look for a job since June every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Nous cherchions un travail depuis juin autrefois.” — “We used to look for a job since June in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: chercher in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Je cherche un bon restaurant à Paris tous les jours.” — “I look for a good restaurant in Paris every day.”

  2. “Tu cherches un travail depuis juin tous les jours.” — “You look for a job since June every day.”

  3. “Il cherche mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” — “He looks for my keys in the living room every day.”

  4. “Nous cherchons un bon restaurant à Paris tous les jours.” — “We look for a good restaurant in Paris every day.”

  5. “Vous cherchez un travail depuis juin tous les jours.” — “You look for a job since June every day.”

  6. “Ils cherchent mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” — “They look for my keys in the living room every day.”

  7. “Je cherche un bon restaurant à Paris tous les jours.” — “I look for a good restaurant in Paris every day.”

  8. “Tu cherches un travail depuis juin tous les jours.” — “You look for a job since June every day.”

Common mistakes with chercher in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Je cherchent mes clés dans le salon.” Right: “Je cherche mes clés dans le salon.” Why: The je form is cherche, not cherchent. Cherchent belongs with ils/elles. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Nous cherchent mes clés dans le salon.” Right: “Nous cherchons mes clés dans le salon.” Why: Nous keeps its own form: cherchons, not cherchent. Learn nous and vous as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Mes clés dans le salon” with the infinitive: “Je chercher mes clés dans le salon.” Right: “Je cherche mes clés dans le salon.” Why: The infinitive chercher never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form cherche.

  • Wrong: “Il est important que je cherche mes clés dans le salon.” Right: “Il est important que je cherche mes clés dans le salon.” Why: After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use cherche here, not the indicative cherche.

Quiz: chercher in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Je ______ un bon restaurant à Paris.”

  • (A) cherchons
  • (B) cherchez
  • (C) cherche
  • (D) cherches

2. Complete the sentence: “Tu ______ un travail depuis juin.”

  • (A) cherche
  • (B) cherchons
  • (C) cherchez
  • (D) cherches

3. Complete the sentence: “Il ______ mes clés dans le salon.”

  • (A) cherchons
  • (B) cherchez
  • (C) cherche
  • (D) cherches

4. Complete the sentence: “Nous ______ un bon restaurant à Paris.”

  • (A) cherche
  • (B) cherches
  • (C) cherchez
  • (D) cherchons

5. Complete the sentence: “Vous ______ un travail depuis juin.”

  • (A) cherchez
  • (B) cherche
  • (C) cherches
  • (D) cherchons

6. Complete the sentence: “Ils ______ mes clés dans le salon.”

  • (A) cherchent
  • (B) cherche
  • (C) cherches
  • (D) cherchons

7. What does chercher mean in English?

  • (A) to listen to
  • (B) to look for
  • (C) to answer
  • (D) to work

8. What is the past participle of chercher?

  • (A) travaillé
  • (B) écouté
  • (C) cherché
  • (D) répondu

Answer key

  1. C) cherche — The je form is cherche.
  2. D) cherches — The tu form is cherches.
  3. C) cherche — The il/elle form is cherche.
  4. D) cherchons — The nous form is cherchons.
  5. A) cherchez — The vous form is cherchez.
  6. A) cherchent — The ils/elles form is cherchent.
  7. B) to look for — chercher means “to look for”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. C) cherché — The past participle of chercher is cherché; the present is formed with avoir + cherché.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of chercher formed?

The present of chercher is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je cherche, tu cherches, il cherche, nous cherchons, vous cherchez, ils cherchent.

When do I use the present of chercher?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Je cherche mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” — “I look for my keys in the living room every day.” For a finished past action, use the passé composé instead.

What is the difference between the present and the imperfect of chercher?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the imperfect describes what used to happen or was happening in the past. Compare “Je cherche mes clés dans le salon tous les jours.” with “Je cherchais mes clés dans le salon autrefois.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it used to be.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for chercher, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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