Definite and indefinite noun after 找?

Question

What's the proper translation for 1. "I'm looking for a phone charger" (any charger, I just need to charge my phone) 2. "I'm looking for the phone charger" (the specific charger, I seem to have misplaced it) Is 我找充電器 likely to be understood as 1) or 2)?

Answer 1

我在找一个手机充电器。Or you can remove the particle "a/an" and have 我在找手机充电器。Finally, if you wish to infer that you have been looking for a phone charger for a long time/you are serious about finding a phone charger, you would repeat the verb 找 to show that it's important, 我在找找手机充电器。 All three are correct.

The article "the" does not exist in Chinese. It only exists in English translation of Chinese

Also, fun fact. 找 (look for) depicts a hand 手 on the left and a dagger 戈 on the right. I interpret this as "I am looking for a weapon (to defend myself?).

Answer 2

Personally, like if I was shopping for a phone charger and talking to the shop clerk, I would say "我在找一个充电器", or if I was at home trying to find my own charger, I would say "我在找我的充电器", or "我在找那个充电器". Your sentence, "我找充電器" with no other context, I would say means the first one- like telling a store clerk what you're looking to buy. (non-specific, just a charger)