cherchais

Cherchais is a verb form in French. It is the imperfect (imparfait) tense of the verb chercher, meaning to search or to seek. The imperfect is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as in Je cherchais mes clés (I was looking for my keys) or Tu cherchais des informations (You were seeking information). The single word cherchaIs? No, the formcherchais corresponds to je cherchais or tu cherchais when the subject is implicit, and the exact subject is usually indicated by the surrounding context.

Etymology and forms. The verb chercher comes from Old French cerchier or cherchier, which in turn traces back to the Latin circare meaning to go about or to search. As a regular -er verb, its imperfect endings are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Thus: je cherchais, tu cherchais, il cherchait, nous cherchions, vous cherchiez, ils cherchaient. The present tense forms differ, but the stem chercher remains regular across other tenses. Note that chercher also appears in the common construction chercher à + infinitive, meaning to try or to attempt to.

Usage notes. Cherchais is primarily a past-tense form and does not itself convey completed action. It can set a scene, describe a habitual past activity, or express a past intention depending on context. Distinct from the passé composé, which signals a completed past action, the imparfait emphasizes duration or repetition. In literary and colloquial French, the form often appears alongside other imperfect forms to establish background conditions or ongoing activities.

See also. Chercher; French verb conjugation; Imparfait.