to search
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to search
To search a place, person, or thing systematically and thoroughly in order to find something or someone. This verb is inseparable.
Die Polizei durchsuchte die Wohnung des Verdächtigen nach Beweismitteln.
The police searched the suspect's apartment for evidence.
'Durchsuchen' (to search) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'durch-' always stays attached to the verb, even in main clauses. The past participle is formed without 'ge-': 'durchsucht'.
Der Zollbeamte durchsucht meinen Koffer.
The customs officer searches my suitcase.
The thing being searched is in the accusative. The thing you hope to find is connected with the preposition 'nach' and the dative.
Ich durchsuche die Festplatte (Akkusativ) nach einem alten Foto (Dativ).
I am searching the hard drive (accusative) for an old photo (dative).
In the physical meaning, the verb is often used with places or objects such as 'Wohnung' (apartment), 'Haus' (house), 'Gepäck' (luggage), or 'Fahrzeug' (vehicle). The context is often an inspection by police, customs, or security personnel.
Am Flughafen wurde mein Rucksack gründlich durchsucht.
At the airport, my backpack was searched thoroughly.
In a digital context, typical objects are 'die Festplatte' (the hard drive), 'die Datenbank' (the database), 'die E-Mails' (the emails), or 'das Internet' (the Internet). It is always about searching for digital information.
Kannst du bitte deine E-Mails nach der Adresse durchsuchen?
Could you please search your emails for the address?
to search / look for
'suchen' and 'durchsuchen' both have to do with wanting to find something. 'suchen' is more general: you do not know where something is and try to find it. That can be a key, a person, or even an answer. 'durchsuchen' means that you search a place, a bag, a file, or a lot of data thoroughly and systematically. Learners may confuse the words because both describe a search. The practical difference is: you look for something, but you search through an area or thing where you think it might be.
Vor der Reise haben wir alle Schubladen nach dem Pass durchsucht.
Before the trip, we searched all the drawers for the passport.
Nach dem Einkauf sucht Anna ihren Schlüssel in der Jackentasche.
After shopping, Anna looks for her key in her jacket pocket.