Finden is a strong verb that pulls double duty: literally it means "to find" (to locate something), and figuratively it means "to think" in the sense of holding an opinion — Ich finde das gut ("I think that's good / I like it"). This second use is one of the workhorses of everyday German conversation. The verb is strong, so its past forms change the stem vowel (find → fand → gefunden), and because the stem ends in -d, the present tense adds a connecting -e before consonant endings, which is worth getting right from the start.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Präteritum | Partizip II (auxiliary) |
|---|---|---|
| finden | fand | gefunden (hat) |
Read this as finden – fand – hat gefunden. The vowel travels i → a → u, the classic pattern of the strong "class IIIa" verbs (the same that gives binden – band – gebunden and singen – sang – gesungen). The Perfekt auxiliary is haben, because finden is a transitive verb that takes a direct object — you find something.
Präsens (present)
Because the stem find- ends in -d, German inserts a buffer -e- before the endings -st and -t; otherwise findst and findt would be unpronounceable. So the du-form is findest and the er-form is findet.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | finde |
| du | findest |
| er / sie / es | findet |
| wir | finden |
| ihr | findet |
| sie / Sie | finden |
Ich finde meine Brille nicht — hast du sie gesehen?
I can't find my glasses — have you seen them? (informal; literal 'find')
Findest du den neuen Chef sympathisch?
Do you find the new boss likeable? (informal; opinion sense)
Präteritum (simple past)
The strong past stem is fand-. Note that the ich-form and the er-form are bare fand with no ending — a hallmark of strong verbs.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | fand |
| du | fandst |
| er / sie / es | fand |
| wir | fanden |
| ihr | fandet |
| sie / Sie | fanden |
In conversation, the Präteritum fand in the opinion sense is extremely common — far more so than the Perfekt. Saying Ich fand den Film langweilig ("I found the movie boring") sounds completely natural in speech, whereas with most verbs spoken German prefers the Perfekt.
Ich fand das Konzert großartig, nur die Schlange an der Bar war zu lang.
I thought the concert was great, only the line at the bar was too long. (informal)
Wir fanden den Schlüssel schließlich unter dem Sofa.
We finally found the key under the couch.
Perfekt (present perfect)
Built with the present of haben + gefunden.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gefunden |
| du | hast gefunden |
| er / sie / es | hat gefunden |
| wir | haben gefunden |
| ihr | habt gefunden |
| sie / Sie | haben gefunden |
Hast du endlich eine Wohnung gefunden?
Have you finally found an apartment? (informal)
Die Polizei hat das gestohlene Fahrrad noch nicht gefunden.
The police haven't found the stolen bicycle yet.
Plusquamperfekt (past perfect)
Past form of haben (hatte) + gefunden — used for an event that happened before another past event.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gefunden |
| du | hattest gefunden |
| er / sie / es | hatte gefunden |
| wir | hatten gefunden |
| ihr | hattet gefunden |
| sie / Sie | hatten gefunden |
Als die Gäste kamen, hatte ich endlich das passende Rezept gefunden.
When the guests arrived, I had finally found the right recipe.
Futur I and Futur II
Futur I uses werden + the infinitive finden; Futur II uses werden + gefunden haben.
| Person | Futur I | Futur II |
|---|---|---|
| ich | werde finden | werde gefunden haben |
| du | wirst finden | wirst gefunden haben |
| er / sie / es | wird finden | wird gefunden haben |
| wir | werden finden | werden gefunden haben |
| ihr | werdet finden | werdet gefunden haben |
| sie / Sie | werden finden | werden gefunden haben |
Keine Sorge, wir werden schon eine Lösung finden.
Don't worry, we'll find a solution. (informal reassurance)
Imperativ (commands)
| Addressee | Form |
|---|---|
| du | find(e) |
| ihr | findet |
| Sie | finden Sie |
The du-imperative finde keeps the -e because of the -d stem; the bare find! is heard colloquially but the written standard prefers finde.
Finden Sie sich bitte um neun Uhr im Foyer ein.
Please assemble in the foyer at nine o'clock. (formal; with the separable verb sich einfinden)
Konjunktiv II (would / opinion-softening)
The Konjunktiv II is built from the past stem fand with an umlaut: fände. It is genuinely common, because it softens an opinion into something more tentative and polite — Ich fände das schön ("I'd think that would be nice") is gentler than the flat Ich finde das schön.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | fände |
| du | fändest |
| er / sie / es | fände |
| wir | fänden |
| ihr | fändet |
| sie / Sie | fänden |
Ich fände es schön, wenn wir uns öfter sehen würden.
I'd think it'd be nice if we saw each other more often. (informal, softened)
Konjunktiv I (reported speech)
Used in formal reported speech (indirekte Rede); the base is finde, with the distinctive er-form finde (no -t).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | finde |
| du | findest |
| er / sie / es | finde |
| wir | finden |
| ihr | findet |
| sie / Sie | finden |
Die Kritikerin schrieb, sie finde den Roman überbewertet.
The critic wrote that she found the novel overrated. (formal/journalistic Konjunktiv I)
Usage and government
Finden is transitive and governs the accusative: you find something (or someone). In its opinion sense, the typical pattern is finden + accusative object + adjective: Ich finde den Film gut — literally "I find the film good," where den Film is accusative and gut is a bare predicate adjective (no ending). This is the German answer to English "I like it / I think it's good," and it is worth treating as a fixed frame.
Ich finde dieses Bild wunderschön.
I think this picture is gorgeous. (accusative dieses Bild + bare adjective wunderschön)
There is also a reflexive sich finden meaning "to turn up / sort itself out" (Das wird sich finden = "It'll work out") and sich finden in meaning "to come to terms with."
Common idioms and fixed expressions
| Expression | English |
|---|---|
| Das wird sich finden. | It'll work out / sort itself out. |
| Ich finde es schade, dass … | I think it's a shame that … |
| Gefallen finden an (+ Dat.) | to take a liking to (formal) |
| nichts dabei finden | to see nothing wrong with it |
| den Tod finden | to meet one's death (literary) |
Mach dir keine Sorgen, das wird sich schon finden.
Don't worry, it'll all work out. (informal, reassuring)
Common Mistakes
❌ Ich bin meine Brille gefunden.
Incorrect auxiliary — finden takes a direct object, so its Perfekt uses haben, not sein.
✅ Ich habe meine Brille gefunden.
I found my glasses.
❌ Du findst das gut?
Incorrect — the -d stem needs a buffer -e- before the ending: findest.
✅ Du findest das gut?
You think that's good?
❌ Ich finde, dass es gutes ist.
Incorrect — in 'Ich finde das gut' the adjective stays bare (gut), with no ending.
✅ Ich finde das gut.
I think that's good. / I like it.
❌ Ich finde diesen Film langweilig zu sein.
Incorrect — German uses no 'to be' infinitive here; the bare adjective follows the accusative object directly.
✅ Ich finde diesen Film langweilig.
I find this movie boring.
❌ Ich habe fund einen Job.
Incorrect blend of English 'found' and the German past — the participle is gefunden, and the present is finde.
✅ Ich habe einen Job gefunden.
I found a job.
Key Takeaways
- Principal parts: finden – fand – hat gefunden (strong, vowel i → a → u; Perfekt with haben).
- The -d stem forces a buffer -e-: findest, findet — never findst / findt.
- The opinion frame is Ich finde + accusative + bare adjective (Ich finde das gut), the everyday way to say "I think / I like."
- fand (past) and fände (Konjunktiv II) are both high-frequency; fände politely softens an opinion.
- finden is transitive: it always takes an accusative object.
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