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Questions & Answers about Wir finden den Preis gerecht.
What does finden mean in Wir finden den Preis gerecht? Does it always mean “to find” like discovering something?
Here finden doesn’t mean “to locate” but “to consider” or “to be of the opinion that.” When used this way, it takes a direct object plus a predicative adjective:
- Ich finde den Film spannend. = “I find the movie exciting.”
- Wir finden den Preis gerecht. = “We consider the price fair.”
If you literally “find” something you’ve lost, it’s still finden, e.g. Ich finde meine Schlüssel nicht.
Why is den Preis in the accusative case?
Because finden is a transitive verb that takes a direct object. In German, direct objects are marked by the accusative. der Preis (masculine singular) becomes den Preis.
Why is gerecht not inflected in this sentence? Shouldn’t adjectives agree with gender, number, and case?
In Wir finden den Preis gerecht, gerecht is used predicatively (it describes the object after the verb). Predicative adjectives in German remain uninflected. If you instead put the adjective before the noun (attributively), you would inflect it: der gerechte Preis.
Can we intensify gerecht with sehr? Where does sehr go?
Yes. You place sehr directly before the adjective:
Wir finden den Preis sehr gerecht.
Is there another way to express the same idea, for example with halten … für?
Yes. Use halten + Akkusativ + für + Adjektiv:
Wir halten den Preis für gerecht.
Both mean “we find the price fair,” but finden is a bit more colloquial, while halten für can sound slightly more formal or emphatic.
Could we also say Wir finden, dass der Preis gerecht ist or omit dass?
Both versions are possible:
- Wir finden, dass der Preis gerecht ist. (with dass, more formal/written)
- Wir finden, der Preis ist gerecht. (comma-clause, omitting dass, common in speech)
- Wir finden den Preis gerecht. (most concise, using object + predicative adjective)
Why is finden in the second position in Wir finden den Preis gerecht? How does word order work here?
German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule. The finite verb (finden) must occupy the second “slot.” Here Wir is first, so finden comes second, followed by den Preis and then gerecht.
Can we replace gerecht with fair? Are they interchangeable?
Yes, in this context fair and gerecht are synonyms meaning “fair.” Used predicatively, fair also stays uninflected:
Wir finden den Preis fair.