Focus on French Verbs: chercher

The French verb chercher most often means "to look for" or "to search for." You can use it when you are looking for a person, an object, information, a place, or something less concrete such as a solution.

One important difference from English is that French does not normally use a preposition equivalent to for after chercher. The thing you are looking for follows the verb directly.

Chercher also has several broader uses. It can express trying to find or obtain something, attempting to understand something, and, with chercher à + infinitive, trying or seeking to do something.

Conjugation

Chercher is a regular -er verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern for French verbs ending in -er.

See chercher for all tenses and forms.

Common patterns and prepositions

Chercher usually takes a direct object with no preposition where English uses "look for." Do not add pour.

Chercher + noun: looking for someone or something

Use chercher + noun when you are looking for a person or thing:

The basic pattern is:

chercher + noun

Unlike English look for, chercher takes a direct object. There is no preposition between the verb and the thing being sought.

Looking for information or an answer

Chercher is also commonly used when you are trying to find information, an explanation, an answer, or a solution:

Depending on context, English may use "look for," "search for," "look up," or "try to find" where French uses chercher. The basic French construction remains chercher + the thing being sought.

Chercher quelque chose quelque part

You can add a place to say where you are looking for something:

The place tells you where the search takes place. It does not change the direct relationship between chercher and the thing being sought.

Prepositions such as dans or sous simply locate the search:

Chercher: trying to find or obtain something

Not everything you cherchez has to be physically lost. The verb is frequently used for something you want to find, obtain, or secure:

In these sentences, the speaker is not searching for one particular lost apartment, job, or teacher. Chercher describes the effort to find something that meets a need.

Chercher à + infinitive

Chercher à + infinitive means to try to, seek to, or attempt to do something:

The pattern is:

chercher à + infinitive

This construction is more abstract than chercher + noun. You are not looking for an object; you are trying to accomplish an action or achieve a result.

Compare:

Depending on context, English may translate chercher à as "try to," "attempt to," or "seek to."

Chercher quelqu'un

With a person as its direct object, chercher quelqu'un normally means to look for someone:

Context can sometimes give chercher a more active sense of trying to locate or find someone. The important grammatical point remains the same: the person is a direct object, with no preposition before them.

Chercher quelqu'un: going to get someone

In some contexts, particularly with aller chercher, chercher can mean to go and get, pick up, or fetch someone or something:

This use is important because English often does not use "look for" at all. Aller chercher describes going somewhere in order to get, collect, or retrieve someone or something.

Compare:

Venir chercher

Similarly, venir chercher means to come and get, come pick up, or come collect someone or something:

The presence of aller or venir can change the natural English translation substantially.

Chercher ses mots

The expression chercher ses mots means to search for the right words or struggle to find what to say:

It can describe someone hesitating because they are trying to express an idea.

Chercher des excuses

Chercher des excuses can mean to look for or make excuses:

The exact English translation depends on context. French keeps the basic idea of searching for something, while English may choose a more idiomatic verb.

Chercher midi à quatorze heures

The expression chercher midi à quatorze heures means to make something unnecessarily complicated or to look for difficulties where there are none:

This is an idiomatic expression, so its meaning cannot be understood simply by translating the individual words.

Common expressions with chercher

Several useful expressions and constructions use chercher:

• chercher quelqu'un / quelque chose — to look for someone or something
• chercher une solution — to look for a solution
• chercher à + infinitive — to try or seek to do something
• aller chercher — to go get, fetch, pick up
• venir chercher — to come get, collect, pick up
• chercher ses mots — to search for the right words
• chercher des excuses — to look for or make excuses
• chercher midi à quatorze heures — to make something unnecessarily complicated

These uses all develop from the general idea of trying to find or obtain something, but the natural English translation changes with the construction.

Common mistakes with chercher

Don't use pour after chercher

English says "look for," but French normally uses a direct object:

Not chercher pour mes clés.

Don't use à before the person or thing you are looking for

The à in chercher à + infinitive belongs to a different construction.

Don't translate chercher only as "look for"

The correct English verb depends on context:

Recognizing the construction is often more useful than assigning chercher a single English equivalent.

Chercher vs trouver

Chercher describes the search. Trouver describes finding the person or thing:

The two verbs naturally occur together because they describe different stages of the same process.

Chercher vs rechercher

Chercher is the ordinary verb for looking for someone or something:

Rechercher can also mean to search for, but it often appears in more formal, systematic, or deliberate searches:

It can also mean to seek or pursue a particular quality or result. For most everyday situations, chercher is the basic verb learners need first.

Chercher vs essayer

Chercher à + infinitive and essayer de + infinitive can both describe an attempt:

The constructions are different:

chercher à + infinitive

essayer de + infinitive

Chercher à can emphasize an aim, effort, or result being pursued, while essayer de is a very general way to say that someone tries to do something.

Related verbs

The most important pattern to learn first is chercher + direct object. English speakers often want to add a word corresponding to for, but French does not need one.

From learning to practice

At home or in a shop, Je cherche mes clés and Vous cherchez quoi ? come up constantly — and neither needs pour. When someone offers to pick you up, listen for Je viens te chercher rather than a literal "look for." If you are explaining a goal rather than hunting for an object, Je cherche à comprendre is the pattern to reach for instead of adding pour out of habit.