Use look for when you are trying to find a person, an object or something you need. You can look for a lost notebook or a new place to study. Searching does not mean you have found it.

The idea

Put the thing or person after for: look for the notebook / look for it. For a search happening now, use am/is/are looking for. In What are you looking for?, keep for at the end.

Examples

  • Mina is looking for her red notebook.
  • She is looking for it under the desk.
  • Omar is looking for Lea near the café.
  • We are looking for a quiet place to study.
  • What are you looking for?
  • I am looking for my ticket, but I cannot find it.

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Watch out

Do not change look for it to look it for. Look at means directing your eyes towards something; look for means searching. Find describes locating something, so a search can happen without a successful find.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. Mina is looking ___. (for it / it for)

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    for it

    The pronoun goes after the preposition: Mina is looking for it.

  2. Choose the correct option. What are you looking ___? (for / of)

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    for

    The question needs for: it asks what the person is trying to find.

  3. I cannot locate my ticket and I am checking my bag now. Choose the expression for this search. I am ___ my ticket. (looking for / looking at)

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    looking for

    The ticket cannot be located, so looking for describes the search, not looking at it.

Use it today

Name something you need but cannot locate. Say where you are looking for it, then ask a partner what they are looking for. Keep for with the search expression.