Learn French: Pardon, je cherche ma valise dans cet aéroport. - Excuse me, I am looking for my suitcase in this airport.

Pardon, je cherche ma valise dans cet aéroport.

Excuse me, I am looking for my suitcase in this airport.

Breakdown of Pardon, je cherche ma valise dans cet aéroport.

Questions & Answers about Pardon, je cherche ma valise dans cet aéroport.

Why is there no word for "for" after cherche?

In French, the verb chercher means "to look for" all by itself. You never need to add pour after it. So, je cherche ma valise perfectly translates to "I am looking for my suitcase."

Why is it cet aéroport and not ce aéroport?

Aéroport is a masculine word, so you would normally use ce to mean "this" or "that". However, because aéroport starts with a vowel, ce changes to cet so the two words flow together easily when spoken.

How would I change this sentence to say "I am looking for mine"?

This is where possessive pronouns come in! Because the noun you are replacing (la valise) is feminine, you use the feminine singular pronoun la mienne. The sentence becomes: Je cherche la mienne dans cet aéroport.

Why use dans instead of à for "in this airport"?

Dans emphasizes being physically inside the building, which makes sense if you are wandering around inside looking for a lost bag. You could also use à (at), which just gives your general location on a map.