Cherchent

Cherchent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb chercher, meaning to seek or to look for. It is used when the subject is plural and the action occurs in the present. For example: Ils cherchent un restaurant pour ce soir, Elles cherchent leurs clés. In everyday French, chercher covers both literal searching and more figurative seeking, such as chercher une solution or chercher à comprendre.

As a regular -er verb, chercher follows the standard conjugation pattern: je cherche, tu cherches, il cherche, nous cherchons, vous cherchez, ils/elles cherchent. The final -ent on cherchent is not pronounced in standard French. Chercher also forms compound tenses with être or avoir, as in ils ont cherché (they looked for). The verb frequently combines with direct objects, prepositional phrases, or infinitive clauses, for example: ils cherchent dans le grenier, ils cherchent à parler avec le directeur.

Etymologically, chercher derives from Old French cherchier (also cerchier) and ultimately traces to Latin circare, meaning to go around or search. In modern usage, the form cherchent appears in literature, journalism, and conversation whenever a plural subject is actively seeking something. Related verbs include chercher pour, rechercher (to search more formally), and the noun recherche (search, investigation).