Busco vs estoy buscando
I am looking for size 3 jeans.
Would you say "estoy buscando or busco para los jeans de talla tres", or would you say it in another way?
I can easily understand Estoy buscando..., but I don't know why busco would work as it does on Google translate
Also, do I need los and de?
3 Answers
look for = buscar.
for is not translated because the above is a phrasal verb and those idioms need to be understood idiomatically in Spanish. (And other languages.)
The present simple in Spanish has different usages.
We use the gerund when there's clear evidence of the action, and sometimes, the simple form is even used when an action is happening now.
Hence,
- I'm looking for size 3 jeans. (= busco/estoy buscando jeans talla 3)
My understanding is that both are interchangeeable. You can look at a site like "Reverso" with an almost limitless library of actual conversations, meeting minutes, movie subtitles and so on, and find that both expressions are both popular and occur with almost equal frequency. But unlike English, you would not use the present progressive form to describe an event that has not yet occurred: "I am eating with Mary tonight" should be "Como con Mary este noche" and not estoy comiendo con..."
Either one seems to be fine. Here's a link to a similar question: http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/193946/busco-o-buscando
