Log inSign up

Je cherchais le devis.

Je cherchais le devis.
I was looking for the quote.
From Lesson 459:The polite imperfect (je voulais…)·French

Breakdown of Je cherchais le devis.

je
I
chercher
to look for
le devis
the quote

Questions & Answers about Je cherchais le devis.

Why is this in the imperfect tense if I am walking into an office to ask for the quote right now?
This is the imparfait d'atténuation (imperfect of politeness). Using the imperfect makes your request softer and less demanding. Saying Je cherche le devis (I am looking for the quote) directly can sound a bit blunt. Shifting it to the past tense makes it sound like you are just explaining your presence, which is much more polite in a professional setting.
Does devis mean a famous quote from a book or a person?
No, a devis is a financial quote or an estimate. It is the document a tradesperson or business gives you to show how much a job will cost. If you want to talk about a famous quotation from a person or a book, you would use the word une citation.
Why isn't there a word for "for" after cherchais, like pour?
The verb chercher inherently means "to look for" or "to search for." The preposition is built right into the meaning of the verb. Adding pour is a common mistake for English speakers; you simply follow the verb directly with the noun: Je cherchais le devis.
How do you spell devis if you are looking for multiple quotes?
The spelling stays exactly the same: les devis. Because the singular noun already ends in an "s", it does not change in the plural. And remember, that final "s" is completely silent in both singular and plural!

Learn Je cherchais le devis and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →