How to Conjugate 'Chercher' (to Look For)

The French verb chercher means "to search for." It is a regular -er verb, so learning to conjugate it is pretty simple.

How to Conjugate the French Verb Chercher

To conjugate a French verb, you start by determining the stem. In this case, you drop the -er from the infinitive: cherch-. You then add the ending associated with the subject pronoun (je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles) and the tense you're using. These charts will help you memorize the conjugation pattern for chercher.

How to Use Chercher in the Past Tense

Though this is a lesson on simple conjugations, it's important to touch on the passé composé. It's a compound tense, but it's also the most common way to use a verb in the past tense. To use chercher in the passé composé, you use the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle cherché.

For example:

Il a cherché les chaussures, mais il ne les a pas trouvées.
He looked for the shoes, but he did not find them.