Quaerō means “seek,” “look for,” “ask,” or “investigate.” Its principal parts are quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītum. The present uses quaer-, while the perfect and supine change r to s: quaesīv-, quaesīt-.
The crucial distinction is between seeking a thing and asking a person for information. The thing sought is accusative; the person questioned normally follows ā/ab or ē/ex; the question itself is direct speech or an indirect question with a subjunctive.
Active Indicative and Subjunctive
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | quaerō | quaeris | quaerit | quaerimus | quaeritis | quaerunt |
| Imperfect | quaerēbam | quaerēbās | quaerēbat | quaerēbāmus | quaerēbātis | quaerēbant |
| Future | quaeram | quaerēs | quaeret | quaerēmus | quaerētis | quaerent |
| Perfect | quaesīvī | quaesīvistī | quaesīvit | quaesīvimus | quaesīvistis | quaesīvērunt |
| Pluperfect | quaesīveram | quaesīverās | quaesīverat | quaesīverāmus | quaesīverātis | quaesīverant |
| Future perfect | quaesīverō | quaesīveris | quaesīverit | quaesīverimus | quaesīveritis | quaesīverint |
| Subjunctive tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | quaeram | quaerās | quaerat | quaerāmus | quaerātis | quaerant |
| Imperfect | quaererem | quaererēs | quaereret | quaererēmus | quaererētis | quaererent |
| Perfect | quaesīverim | quaesīverīs | quaesīverit | quaesīverīmus | quaesīverītis | quaesīverint |
| Pluperfect | quaesīvissem | quaesīvissēs | quaesīvisset | quaesīvissēmus | quaesīvissētis | quaesīvissent |
Puer librum āmissum quaerit.
The boy is looking for the lost book.
Viātōrēs viam ad portum quaerēbant.
The travelers were looking for the road to the harbor.
Crās ā magistrō causam morae quaeram.
Tomorrow I shall ask the teacher the reason for the delay.
Diū causam huius reī quaesīvimus.
We investigated the cause of this matter for a long time.
The perfect also has v-less forms such as quaesiī, quaesiit, quaesiērunt; quaesieram, quaesierim. Further contraction produces quaesī, quaesīt, quaesīstī, and quaesīsse. All are Classical, but the table displays the full quaesīv- series so that the perfect stem remains visible.
Passive Voice
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | quaeror | quaereris | quaeritur | quaerimur | quaeriminī | quaeruntur |
| Imperfect | quaerēbar | quaerēbāris | quaerēbātur | quaerēbāmur | quaerēbāminī | quaerēbantur |
| Future | quaerar | quaerēris | quaerētur | quaerēmur | quaerēminī | quaerentur |
| Present subjunctive | quaerar | quaerāris | quaerātur | quaerāmur | quaerāminī | quaerantur |
| Imperfect subjunctive | quaererer | quaererēris | quaererētur | quaererēmur | quaererēminī | quaererentur |
Perfect-system passives use quaesītus, -a, -um plus sum: perfect quaesītus est, pluperfect quaesīta erat, future perfect quaesītī erunt; perfect subjunctive quaesītus sit, pluperfect subjunctive quaesīta esset. The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
Remedium ab aegrīs ubīque quaeritur.
A remedy is sought everywhere by the sick.
Causa calamitātis dīligenter quaesīta est.
The cause of the disaster was carefully investigated.
Impersonal quaeritur can introduce the issue under investigation: “the question is asked.” Context distinguishes a personal passive subject from a general inquiry.
Commands and Non-Finite Forms
Present active imperatives are quaere, quaerite. The future imperative has quaeritō for the second- or third-person singular, quaeritōte for the second-person plural, and quaeruntō for the third-person plural; these are especially at home in laws, instructions, and precepts. Rare passive imperatives are present quaerere, quaeriminī and future quaeritor (second- or third-person singular), quaeruntor (third-person plural).
Quaere ā custōde ubi medicus sit.
Ask the guard where the doctor is.
| Category | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present infinitive | quaerere | quaerī |
| Perfect infinitive | quaesīvisse | quaesītum esse |
| Future infinitive | quaesītūrum esse | quaesītum īrī |
| Participles | quaerēns; quaesītūrus | quaesītus; quaerendus |
| Gerund | quaerendī, quaerendō, quaerendum, quaerendō | — |
| Supines | quaesītum, quaesītū | — |
In the perfect passive infinitive, quaesītus esse changes for the infinitive's understood subject. Rare future passive quaesītum īrī, however, contains the invariant accusative supine quaesītum, even with a feminine or plural subject.
Dīxit sē novam domum quaesīvisse.
He said that he had looked for a new house.
Nōbīs causa huius errōris quaerenda est.
We must investigate the cause of this error.
Asking Questions
The person questioned commonly follows ā/ab + ablative or ē/ex + ablative: quaerō ā tē, ex eō quaesīvī. The content may be a direct question or an indirect question with a subjunctive. Keep dē + ablative distinct: it usually marks the topic, as in dē bellō quaerere, “inquire about the war.”
Ā tē quaerō cūr tam serō vēneris.
I ask you why you have come so late.
Perfect subjunctive vēneris belongs to the indirect question. English word order changes, but Latin retains the question word and marks subordination with the subjunctive.
Quaerēbat num frāter domī esset.
She was asking whether her brother was at home.
Under past quaerēbat, imperfect subjunctive esset presents a simultaneous state in secondary sequence. See indirect questions.
Quaerō, Petō, and Rogō
Use quaerō to seek a thing or ask for information, petō to seek/request a thing or action from someone, and rogō to ask a question or request someone to act. Their overlap is real, but their frames differ.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| quaerō ab eō quid acciderit | I ask him what happened |
| auxilium ab eō petō | I ask him for help |
| eum rogō ut maneat | I ask him to stay |
Ab amīcō quaesīvī quid sentīret, deinde auxilium petīvī.
I asked my friend what he thought, then requested help.
Calling quaerō simply “ask” without learning the source phrase and clause type creates predictable case errors.
Aspect and the Outcome of Inquiry
Imperfect quaerēbat presents an inquiry in progress or repeated questioning; perfect quaesīvit presents the investigation as a bounded event. Neither perfect aspect nor the verb itself guarantees that an answer was found.
Iūdex diū vēritātem quaerēbat, sed nihil certī invēnit.
The judge searched for the truth for a long time but found nothing certain.
Multōs testēs quaesīvit atque singulōs interrogāvit.
He sought out many witnesses and questioned them one by one.
This difference separates quaerere “seek/inquire” from invenīre “find.” English “looked up” or “found out” may blur the boundary, but Latin can explicitly contrast the process and its result.
An answer can be expressed as a direct object (responsum quaerere) or as an indirect question.
Discipulus dē hoc verbō quaesīvit quid significāret.
The student asked about this word and what it meant.
Other Meanings and Compounds
Quaerō can mean “seek to obtain, earn”: vīctum quaerere “earn a living.” It can also mean conduct a formal inquiry (formal/legal).
Compounds change quaer- to -quīr-: acquīrō, acquīrere, acquīsīvī, acquīsītum “acquire”; conquīrō “seek together, collect”; exquīrō “investigate carefully”; inquīrō “inquire into”; requīrō “seek again, look for, require, miss.”
Iūdex omnia testimōnia exquīsīvit.
The judge investigated all the evidence thoroughly.
The vowel change is inherited; exquaerō is not the Classical form.
Parsing Diagnostic
Identify present quaer-, full perfect quaesīv-, v-less quaesi-, contracted quaesī-, or supine quaesīt-. Then ask whether the object is a sought thing or information. Look for ab/ex + person and for an indirect-question word with subjunctive. In compounds, recognize -quīr- as the same family.
Common Mistakes
Inventing the perfect
❌ Responsum quaeruī.
Incorrect — the full perfect stem is quaesīv-.
✅ Responsum quaesīvī.
I sought an answer.
Giving the questioned person an accusative
❌ Tē quaerō cūr abeās.
Incorrect for ‘I ask you’ — the person questioned normally follows ab or ex.
✅ Ā tē quaerō cūr abeās.
I ask you why you are leaving.
Confusing a direct question with an indirect one
⚠️ Quaerō: ubi medicus est?
This gives the question as direct speech: ‘I ask: where is the doctor?’
✅ Quaerō ubi medicus sit.
I ask where the doctor is.
Preserving quaer- inside a compound
❌ Iūdex vēritātem inquaerit.
Incorrect — compounds use -quīr-.
✅ Iūdex vēritātem inquīrit.
The judge investigates the truth.
Key Takeaways
- Memorize quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītum and recognize both v-less and contracted perfects.
- The person questioned normally follows ā/ab or ē/ex; the question itself takes a subjunctive when indirect.
- Quaerō seeks information, while petō characteristically requests a thing or action.
- The verb has full active, passive, and non-finite systems.
- Compounds replace quaer- with -quīr-.
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- Third-Conjugation Present IndicativeA1 — Recognize the shifting stem vowels and form the present indicative active and passive of regular Latin verbs in -ere.