French Phrase
Je cherche des trucs en ligne.
Meaning
Literally, ‘I am looking for things online.’ It’s a casual way to say you are searching the internet for items, information, or any kind of content.
When to use
Use this sentence when you are browsing the web for resources, shopping, or simply trying to find something on the internet. It works well in informal conversation with friends or classmates.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jecherchedestrucsenligne
Subject pronoun
‘Je’ is the first‑person singular subject pronoun meaning ‘I’.
Verb ‘chercher’
‘chercher’ means ‘to look for, to search’. It is a regular -er verb conjugated in the present tense: je cherche.
Partitive article ‘des’
‘des’ is the plural partitive article used before an indefinite plural noun (trucs).
Informal noun ‘trucs’
‘trucs’ is a colloquial word for ‘things, stuff’. In formal speech you would use ‘choses’.
Prepositional phrase ‘en ligne’
‘en ligne’ literally means ‘in line’ and is the idiomatic way to say ‘online’ or ‘on the internet’.
🗨In Conversation
Tu cherches quoi exactement ?
What exactly are you looking for?
Je cherche des trucs en ligne, comme des articles et des vidéos.
I’m looking for stuff online, like articles and videos.
✕Common Mistakes
Je cherche à des trucs en ligne.
‘Chercher’ does not take the preposition ‘à’ before the object. Use the direct object without a preposition.
Je cherche le trucs en ligne.
‘Des’ is the correct partitive article for an indefinite plural noun; ‘le’ would make it singular and definite.
Je cherche des trucs en internet.
The idiomatic expression is ‘sur internet’ or ‘en ligne’, not ‘en internet’.
↔Alternatives
Je recherche des choses sur internet.
I am searching for things on the internet.
Je cherche des informations en ligne.
I am looking for information online.
Je navigue pour trouver des trucs sur le net.
I’m browsing to find stuff on the net.
Cultural Tip
‘Trucs’ is very informal; in a professional email or formal setting you would replace it with ‘choses’ or specify the noun (ex. ‘des informations’, ‘des produits’). Also, while ‘en ligne’ is the most common expression, some speakers say ‘sur internet’ or ‘sur le net’, which are equally understood.