Cercarono

Cercarono is the third-person plural passato remoto form of the Italian verb cercare, meaning to search or look for. It translates to “they looked for” or “they sought” in English. The passato remoto is a past tense used mainly in literary, historical, or formal writing to describe actions completed in the distant past.

In ordinary speech, Italians normally use the passato prossimo: hanno cercato. Cercarono follows the regular -are conjugation pattern in the passato remoto: io cercai, tu cercasti, lui/lei cercò, noi cercarammo, voi cercaste, loro cercarono.

The verb cercare derives from Latin circāre, related to circum “around,” and entered Italian with senses connected to going around or seeking. In modern Italian, cercare is transitive and takes a direct object, as in cercarono una pista or cercarono la verità, meaning they looked for a clue or they sought the truth.

Usage notes: cercarono is common in historical narratives, novels, and chronicles, where the passato remoto is retained. It contrasts with the more common spoken form hanno cercato in everyday conversation. For learners, distinguishing between cercarono (narrative past, plural) and cercò (singular) is a basic aspect of mastering Italian verb tenses. Example: I ricercatori cercarono una nuova pista.