Learn Hardcore German: Ich finde den Plan gut.

In German, finden + etwas + Adjektiv is a very common way to express an opinion:
Ich finde den Plan gut. = My opinion is that the plan is good.

Why is it den Plan and not der Plan?

Den Plan is in the accusative case, because it’s the direct object of the verb finden.

The verb finden (to find) is a transitive verb: it takes a direct object – the thing you find.
In German, the direct object goes into the accusative.

Plan is masculine, so its definite article changes with case:

Nominative (subject): der Plan
Accusative (direct object): den Plan
Dative: dem Plan
Genitive: des Plans

In Ich finde den Plan gut, what do I find (good)? → den Plan → direct object → accusative.

Could I say Ich finde der Plan gut?

No, Ich finde der Plan gut is incorrect.

After finden, the thing you “find” is a direct object, so it must be in the accusative.
For a masculine noun like Plan, accusative is den, not der.

So you need:

✅ Ich finde den Plan gut.
❌ Ich finde der Plan gut.

Why does gut come at the end? Could I say Ich finde gut den Plan?

In a simple German main clause, the typical order is:

Subject – Verb – (Object) – (Other stuff like adjectives, adverbs)

In Ich finde den Plan gut:

Ich – subject
finde – conjugated verb
den Plan – object
gut – predicate adjective describing the object

So the “evaluation word” gut naturally goes after the object.

✅ Ich finde den Plan gut.
❌ Ich finde gut den Plan. (ungrammatical in normal German word order)

You can move parts to the front for emphasis, but that changes structure:

✅ Den Plan finde ich gut. (emphasis on “the plan”)
✅ Gut finde ich den Plan nicht. (emphasis on “good”)

But Ich finde gut den Plan is not normal German.

Is Ich finde den Plan gut the same as Ich mag den Plan?

They are similar, but not identical in nuance.

Ich finde den Plan gut.
– Focus: your judgment/evaluation.
– “In my opinion, the plan is good / well thought out / acceptable.”
Ich mag den Plan.
– Focus: your personal liking.
– “I like the plan.” (more about your taste or preference)

Often, in everyday conversation, they can be used in very similar situations and even feel interchangeable:

Meeting at work:
– Ich finde den Plan gut. = “I think the plan is good.”
– Ich mag den Plan. = “I like the plan.”

The first sounds a bit more evaluative, the second a bit more emotional/personal.

What’s the difference between Ich finde den Plan gut and Ich denke, dass der Plan gut ist?

Both express a similar idea, but they differ in structure and style.

Ich finde den Plan gut.
- Short, direct, very common in speech.
- Structure: finden + Akkusativ + Adjektiv (verb + object + adjective).
- Feels colloquial and natural in everyday language.
Ich denke, dass der Plan gut ist.
- Slightly more explicit/analytical.
- Structure: denken + dass‑clause.
- Translates more literally to “I think that the plan is good.”
- Also fine in spoken German; feels a bit more “spelled out” or reflective.

Meaning-wise, both say you think the plan is good. Formally or in writing, the dass‑clause version may appear more often in complex sentences, but Ich finde den Plan gut is completely acceptable everywhere.

Can I change the word order to Den Plan finde ich gut? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can say:

✅ Den Plan finde ich gut.

This is grammatically correct and very natural.

Meaning: essentially the same: “I think the plan is good.”
Effect: a change of emphasis.

Ich finde den Plan gut.
– neutral statement.
Den Plan finde ich gut.
– Slight emphasis on den Plan (“That plan I find good (maybe others, not so much)”).

German lets you put different elements at the start (Vorfeld) for emphasis, as long as the conjugated verb stays in second position:

Den Plan (1st position) finde (2nd position) ich gut.

How would I turn Ich finde den Plan gut into a question?

There are two common patterns:

Yes/No question (Do you think the plan is good?)
- Findest du den Plan gut?
  – Verb (findest) goes first, then subject (du).
Open question (What do you think of the plan?)
- Wie findest du den Plan?
  – Wie (how/what do you think) in first position,
  then findest (verb), then du (subject), then den Plan.

Both are very common. Responses could be:

Ich finde den Plan gut.
Ich finde den Plan nicht so gut.
Ich finde den Plan großartig / schlecht / langweilig, etc.

How do I negate this sentence? Where does nicht go?

To say “I don’t think the plan is good”, you would typically say:

✅ Ich finde den Plan nicht gut.

Here:

nicht comes before the adjective gut, because you’re negating the evaluation, not the existence of the plan.

Other examples:

Ich finde den Plan überhaupt nicht gut. – I really don’t think the plan is good at all.
Ich finde den Plan nicht besonders gut. – I don’t think the plan is particularly good.

You would not say:

❌ Ich finde nicht den Plan gut.
(That would sound like: “It’s not the plan that I find good [but something else],” which is a different and unusual emphasis.)

Can I leave out gut and just say Ich finde den Plan?

No, Ich finde den Plan on its own sounds incomplete in the “opinion” sense.

Ich finde den Plan gut. – complete: you evaluate the plan as good.

Without an adjective or similar expression, finden is usually understood in its literal sense: “to find (locate)” something.

Ich finde den Plan nicht. – “I can’t find the plan.” (e.g., a sheet of paper)

If you want to express an opinion, you typically need:

finden + Objekt + Adjektiv
- Ich finde den Plan gut/schlecht/langweilig/interessant.
- Ich finde den Plan sinnvoll/unsinnig.

Does finden always mean “to find (physically)”, or is this a special usage?

Finden has two main usages:

Literal: to find (locate)
- Ich finde meinen Schlüssel nicht. – I can’t find my key.
- Hast du meinen Fehler gefunden? – Did you find my mistake?
Figurative: to think/consider/judge
- Ich finde den Plan gut. – I think the plan is good.
- Wie findest du den Film? – What do you think of the film?
- Ich finde das unfair. – I find that unfair / I think that’s unfair.

The figurative meaning “to consider/think” is extremely common in everyday conversation.

Why is Plan capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence.

der Plan, ein Plan, den Plan, mit dem Plan

So in Ich finde den Plan gut, Plan is capitalized because it is a noun.

Adjectives, verbs, and other parts of speech are normally not capitalized (unless they’re at the start of a sentence or part of a proper name):

gut, schlecht, interessant, finden – all lower‑case in the middle of a sentence.

How is finden conjugated, and is it a regular verb?

Finden is a strong (irregular) verb.

Present tense:

ich finde – I find
du findest – you find (singular, informal)
er/sie/es findet – he/she/it finds
wir finden – we find
ihr findet – you find (plural, informal)
sie/Sie finden – they / you (formal) find

Important forms:

Infinitive: finden
Simple past (Präteritum): ich fand – I found / I thought
Past participle: gefunden – found

Examples:

Ich fand den Plan schon damals gut. – I already thought the plan was good back then.
Ich habe den Plan gut gefunden. – I have found the plan good / I thought the plan was good. (spoken past)

How can I make the opinion stronger or weaker, starting from Ich finde den Plan gut?

You can modify gut with adverbs or replace it with a stronger/weaker adjective:

Stronger approval:

Ich finde den Plan sehr gut. – I think the plan is very good.
Ich finde den Plan wirklich gut. – I really think the plan is good.
Ich finde den Plan ausgezeichnet / großartig / hervorragend.

Weaker or lukewarm approval:

Ich finde den Plan ganz gut. – I think the plan is pretty good / okay.
Ich finde den Plan ziemlich gut. – I find the plan quite good.

Disapproval:

Ich finde den Plan nicht so gut. – I don’t think the plan is that good.
Ich finde den Plan schlecht / nicht gut / problematisch.

Note the placement:

✅ Ich finde den Plan wirklich gut.
✅ Ich finde den Plan ganz gut.
❌ Ich finde wirklich den Plan gut. (odd in most contexts)