buscaron

Buscaron is the preterite, third-person plural form of the Spanish verb buscar, meaning to look for or to search for. It is used to describe a completed action in the past performed by ellos, ellas, or ustedes (you all).

Conjugation and form. Buscar is a regular -car verb, and its preterite forms are: yo busqué, tú buscaste, él/ella/usted buscó, nosotros buscamos, vosotros buscasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes buscaron. Note that the first-person singular form shows a spelling change (busqué) to preserve the hard /k/ sound before the e vowel; other forms do not carry this change. The accent on busqué and busqué indicates the correct stress.

Usage and nuance. Buscar is transitive and typically requires a direct object (buscar algo). It can express searching for tangible items, information, or people. In narratives, buscaron often signals a completed past action of seeking something or someone, sometimes followed by a description of the outcome or result. In addition to the preterite, the verb has imperfect (buscaba, buscabas, buscábamos, etc.) to indicate ongoing or repeated past searching.

Examples. Los exploradores buscaron refugio cuando cayó la noche. Ellos buscaron a los testigos del accidente durante la investigación. Ustedes buscaron respuestas en el reporte oficial.

Regional and stylistic notes. In Latin American Spanish, buscaron is commonly used for past actions irrespective of formal address. In regions that use vosotros, the corresponding form is buscasteis. The word remains versatile across formal and informal contexts, and it pairs with a wide range of direct objects and prepositional phrases to specify what was sought and where.