Anna vindt de verloren telefoon in de keuken.

Anna vindt de verloren telefoon in de keuken.
Anna finds the lost phone in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Anna vindt de verloren telefoon in de keuken.

Anna
Anna
in
in
de keuken
the kitchen
vinden
to find
de telefoon
the phone
verloren
lost
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Questions & Answers about Anna vindt de verloren telefoon in de keuken.

Why is the verb written as vindt instead of vind?

In Dutch you conjugate verbs according to the subject. The infinitive is vinden, but in the present tense you have:

  • ik vind
  • jij vindt
  • hij/zij/het vindt
  • wij/jullie/zij vinden
    Since Anna is third person singular, you add -t, giving Anna vindt.
Is this sentence in the present or past tense?

It’s in the present tense (simple present). Dutch often uses the present to describe current actions (and sometimes recent events). If you want past tense, use vond:
Anna vond de verloren telefoon in de keuken.

Why is the past participle verloren left unchanged? Shouldn’t it get an -e?
Most adjectives take -e before a noun (e.g. de grote man), but certain past participles like verloren (from verliezen) are invariable. You always say de verloren telefoon, regardless of gender or number. Other invariable participle-adjectives include gestolen, gebroken, etc.
Why is there de before keuken? Can’t we drop the article like in English?
Dutch generally requires an article for singular common nouns. keuken is common gender, so you use de keuken. Drop the article only if you’re speaking very generally (e.g. Keuken is belangrijk – “Kitchen is important,” which is rare). If it’s any kitchen = een keuken; this specific one = de keuken.
Can I move in de keuken to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb stays in position 2. So you can say:
In de keuken vindt Anna de verloren telefoon.
Notice vindt remains second.

Does vinden only mean “to find”?

No. Besides “to find,” vinden also means “to think” or “to have an opinion.” For example:

  • Ik vind het leuk. (I like it / I think it’s nice.)
  • Wat vind jij van dit boek? (What do you think of this book?)
Why is Anna not preceded by an article?
Proper names never take an article in Dutch. You say Peter loopt (Peter walks), not de Peter loopt, and similarly Anna vindt.
How do I express “Anna has found the lost phone in the kitchen”?

Use the perfect tense with hebben + past participle:
Anna heeft de verloren telefoon in de keuken gevonden.

Why is the past participle of vinden gevonden, not gevind or gevindt?

Dutch past participles usually get ge- + verb stem + -d or -t following the ’t kofschip rule. However, vinden is irregular: its stem in the past is vond, so you get:
ge- + vond + ­en → gevonden.