What is the difference between encontrar and buscar?

Question

What is the difference between encontrar and buscar?

Welcome to SD amiga - thanks for completing your SD profile. - ian-hill, Jul 14, 2015

Excellent question, I always use the wrong one because I don´t know either. - annierats, Jul 14, 2015

Answer 1

I recently discovered that Buscar is used when meeting someone at the airport or station: Eg Voy a buscarte al aeropuerto. I will meet you at the airport. Or even, I will pick you up at the airport. And there seems to be an overlap with the reflexive of encontrar, because encontrarse a alguien is to meet someone.

But is it a different kind of meeting?

I had not noticed that, it's true Jenny 'te paso a buscar' is I'll pick you up - Pablo064, Jul 14, 2015

Answer 2

Encontrar = to find, meet

Buscar = to look for, to pick up

If you're getting confused between the meeting/picking up overlap perhaps it would help to use encontrar when the exact location is known but buscar when the location is a bit more general and there will be some looking around or finding involved?

Yes, that seems right. And it seems that buscar is about fining someone then taking them somewhere else. - jennysk, Jul 15, 2015

Answer 3

Buscar is to look for something, and encontrar is to find it. At least, those are the most basic meanings. Do you have a more specific question/issue/confusion?

Indeed, but the uses get complicated after that... At least at times. - annierats, Jul 14, 2015

Answer 4

These examples from my dictionary may confuse rather than clarify.

Decidimos encontrarnos en la librería.

We decided to meet in the bookshop.

Siempre me la encuentro cuando menos me apetece.

I always run into her when I least feel like it.

Fuimos a buscarla a la estación.

We picked her up at the station.

Siempre venía a buscarme a la escuela.

He’d always come and meet me from school.

Answer 5

I don't see any confusion with using Buscar for picking someone up as you do indeed have to look for them at the airport/library/store. Now if you are at the airport/library/store and see someone you know than encontrar is the better verb.

Just my gringo opinion.