Ich finde den Stuhl klein.

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Breakdown of Ich finde den Stuhl klein.

• klein: small
• der Stuhl: the chair
• finden: to find
• den: the

Questions & Answers about Ich finde den Stuhl klein.

Why do we use den instead of der for Stuhl in this sentence?

In German, Stuhl is a masculine noun. When it is the direct object of the sentence, it takes the accusative case. The definite article for masculine nouns in the accusative case changes from der to den.

What does Ich finde mean, and how is it different from something like Ich glaube?

Ich finde literally means I find, but it is often used to express personal opinions or impressions (e.g., I think / In my opinion). Ich glaube means I believe and can be used to express something you believe to be true, but ich finde can imply more of a subjective assessment or perception about something.

Why is klein used instead of kleinen here?

After verbs like finden, which express an opinion about a direct object, German typically uses the uninflected form of the adjective—known as a predicative adjective. Hence, we say Ich finde den Stuhl klein (I find the chair small) rather than using the inflected (kleinen).

Is there another way to say Ich finde den Stuhl klein?

You could say Ich finde, dass der Stuhl klein ist, which literally translates to I find that the chair is small. However, in everyday speech, Ich finde den Stuhl klein is more concise and sounds very natural.

Do I always have to use finden to express my opinion on something?

No. You can also use phrases like Ich denke (I think), Meiner Meinung nach (in my opinion), or Ich glaube (I believe), depending on the context and nuance you want to convey. However, finden is a very common way in German to express a subjective impression about something’s quality or state.