What does this sentence actually say?

Question

¿Me buscaste el libro?

Does it say, "I searched the book"? or "Did you search for the book"?

Answer 1

The verb "buscaste" is second person preterite, so it means "you searched".

My guess is "Did you search the book for me?"

Perfect :) - cogumela, Mar 1, 2011

Aha! I knew it was not right! - pacofinkler, Mar 1, 2011

Right. - Dakie, Mar 1, 2011

A veces, una ardilla ciego puede encontrar una bellota. :) - 0066c384, Mar 1, 2011

I'm with you dogwood. - pacofinkler, Mar 1, 2011

Too bad you didn't clarify the difference between seeking information from a book and seeking the book itself - Sabor, Mar 1, 2011

Answer 2

Seems to check out as "I searched (in the) book" for something, somehow it doesn't seem right though! The problem is in "buscaste" (you searched).

Self correction "did you search (in) the book for me".

Final correction( gospel from a native speaker)

¿Me buscaste el libro?

"Did you look for the book for me?"

Answer 3

Did you look for the book for me?

Answer 4

For the non-natives, re. buscar.

Normally one looks for things.

Searching is an extreme form of looking for things:

Searching for survivors after a flood/earthquake/choose your own natural disaster. Searching the whole house for the murder weapon.

With searching comes the mental image of going through every drawer, looking under the bed, emptying the flour of of the jar to check that it is not in the bottom, sticking your arm half way up the u-bend of the toilet. Etc.

If you're not doing it in earnest then you are looking for something, not searching for it.

Also:

The use of for is very important and changes the meaning of the sentence.

To search an object is to search inside that object:

We seached the house for hours but could not find it - we looked all over the house but could not find it (the object that they want to find).

To search for an object means to try and find it:

We searched for the house for hours but could not find it - we tried to find the house for hours but could not find it (the house).

Duly noted Afowen! - pacofinkler, Mar 1, 2011

Answer 5

I agree with ribowner.

"¿Me buscaste el libro?" .... "Did you look/search for the book for me?"

"Did you search the book for me?" .... "Me buscaste en el llibro (la información)?"

Too bad no one else clarified the difference between seeking information from a book and seeking the book itself - Sabor, Mar 1, 2011

Answer 6

thats a tricky one, I would read it as did you look for hte book for me, but I'm not sure.

I thought that if it were "did you look in the book for me" it would be me buscaste en el libro"

Answer 7

"Me" is more me or myself but in this case it is "for me".

Buscar usually means "to search for" but I've heard it used as "to get" so this could mean "Did you get me the book?"

Yo is I ie Yo me levanto a las ocho = I get (myself) up at eight. The yo is only used here for stress as without it the sentence still means the same

Answer 8

me in spanish means " I " so it would be "I searched the book" thats what i think but im not sure.

Answer 9

Yeah. That's why I am confused. It doesn't make any sense that way. And "buscaste" is a conjugated form of "you looked."

"sought" will be more helpful. - Sabor, Mar 1, 2011

Answer 10

Translating websites say i searched the book but i am not sure.

Answer 11

Did you look for the book for me?