chercher
/ʃɛʁ.ʃe/
The English word searching is translated into French as chercher.
The verb chercher is used when looking for someone or something that is lost or needed.
How does it change in a sentence?
The first-person singular present tense of chercher is cherche, and the past participle is cherché.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃɛʁ.ʃe/ (two syllables)
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add the preposition 'pour' after chercher, but in French, the verb is direct and does not require a preposition to mean 'to look for'.
Did you know?
- The word chercher is used in the common expression chercher midi à quatorze heures, which literally means 'to look for noon at two in the afternoon'.
- In French, chercher can be used to mean 'to pick someone up' from a location, such as je vais chercher les enfants à l'école.
- The verb chercher shares an unlikely ancestry with the English word 'circus'. Both words trace their roots back to the idea of a circle or a circuit, such as moving around in a loop.
Examples in context
- Personne n'est venu chercher Daniel.No one came searching for Daniel.This sentence shows how to use chercher in the context of looking for a person.Tatoeba #12478392 by always, translation #11498831 by Amastan
- J'ai perdu trop de temps à te chercher.I wasted too much time searching for you.This sentence demonstrates using chercher to mean looking for someone.Tatoeba #5618885 by nimfeo, translation #5619097 by soredewa
- Continue à chercher.Keep searching.This sentence provides a simple command using chercher.Tatoeba #5393599 by Aiji, translation #2111639 by CK
- Je cherche des informations sur cette entreprise.I am searching for information about this company.
- Je dois effectuer une recherche approfondie avant de prendre une décision.I need to perform an in-depth search before making a decision.
- Je sors en ville pour chercher des trucs à faire ce soir.I'm going out to town to find things to do tonight.
- Je fais des recherches sur les nouvelles tendances de la mode.I'm doing research on the latest fashion trends.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are in a park looking for a lost cat.
- LéaOù est le chat ? Je commence à chercher partout.Where is the cat? I am starting to look everywhere.
- HugoJe vais le chercher dans le jardin, Léa.I will go look for him in the garden, Léa.
- LéaTu peux aussi chercher près de la haie.You can also look near the hedge.
- HugoD'accord, je le cherche tout de suite.Okay, I am looking for him right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry chercher, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chercher, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
