Encontrar Conjugation: Ultimate Guide With Chunks And Dialogues
Hi there!
The verb “encontrar” is quite straightforward, but it has a reflexive version and some uses that you might not be able to guess.
Spring Spanish teacher Maura is going to review this verb and what it can do in its two versions, plus present you with encontrar conjugation.
Let’s get started!
1. Encontrar conjugation with Yo: Yo encuentro – Yo me encuentro
Most of the examples below will be conjugated with youI”, so pay attention to the ending which in this case is -O.
CARLA
¿Has visto mi cargador? ¡No lo encuentro!
(Have you seen my charger? I can’t find it!)
MAURA
No, lo siento. Tampoco encontrabas las llaves, ni tu teléfono. Se te está perdiendo todo.
(No, I’m sorry. You couldn’t find your keys either, nor your phone. You’re losing everything.)
CARLA
¡Yo sé! Es que esta semana no me encuentro muy bien. He dormido malísimo.
(I know! I just don’t feel very well this week. I’ve slept badly.)
MAURA
¡Ay, no! ¿Crees que te vas a enfermar?
(Oh no! Do you think you’re going to get sick?)
CARLA
Un poco, sí.
(A little, yes.)
The main use of “to find” is to come across something that you don’t know where it is. Easy, right?
Keep in mind that you can find or not find material things and abstract things, such as:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No encuentro la tapa. | I can’t find the lid. |
| Encontré un Airbnb perfecto para el viaje. | I found a perfect Airbnb for the trip. |
| No le encuentro salida a este problema. | I can’t find a way out of this problem. |
| Siempre hay solución, encuentra la salida. | There is always a solution, find a way out. |
“Encontrarse” in its reflexive version, can be used as Carla did: to talk about how you feel physically or emotionally.
For this, the conjugation is the same, but we add the pronoun “me” in front. Like this:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Ya me encuentro mejor, gracias. | I feel better now, thank you. |
| Hoy me encuentro fatal. Anoche no dormí nada. | Today, I feel terrible. Last night I didn’t sleep at all. |
| Cuando me encuentro mal, prefiero no socializar. | When I feel bad, I prefer not to socialize. |
As you will see, this use includes words like “bien” or “mal” or some of their synonyms in Spanish.
2. Tú encuentras – Tú te encuentras
MAURA
Si no te encuentras bien, deberías descansar. Así quizás evitas enfermarte completamente.
(If you are not feeling well, you should rest. That way you may avoid getting sick altogether.)
CARLA
Lo intentaré, pero estoy full de trabajo. Me ayudas si encuentras el cargador por mí.
(I will try, but I am full of work. You help me if you find the charger for me.)
MAURA
Vale, lo busco.
(Okay, I’ll look for it.)
CARLA
¡Gracias! Te quiero.
(Thank you! I love you.)
The conjugation with “you” ends in -AS. Here are more examples:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Si buscas, encuentras. | If you look, you find. (This is an idiomatic expression that encourages you to act. |
| ¿Tú encuentras buenos precios en ese supermercado? | Do you find good prices in that supermarket? |
“Encontrarse” with “tú” adds the “te”. So we have
- Acompáñame al super, pero solo si te encuentras bien. (Come with me to the supermarket, but only if you feel well.)
- ¿Te encuentras mal? Tienes mala cara. (Are you unwell? You look bad.)
CHUNK ALERT!
“Tienes mala cara” sounds like an insult but it is not. It’s normally used to say that someone looks sick, tired, sad, or upset in some way.
• Mejor no hables con el jefe hoy porque tiene muy mala cara. (Better not talk to the boss today because he’s got a bad face.)
It has more to do with a temporary emotional or physical state than with how you normally look. The opposite also holds true, like:
- Tiene buena cara, así que yo creo que ya se está recuperando de la operación. (He looks good, so I think he is recovering from the surgery.)
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3. Él, Ella, Eso encuentra – Él, ella, Eso se encuentra
MAURA
Yo no lo logro, pero le voy a decir a Amanda que busque el cargador. Ella siempre encuentra todo.
(I can’t make it, but I will tell Amanda to look for the charger. She always finds everything.)
CARLA
Es verdad. Es que es muy organizada y se fija en todo.
(It’s true. She’s very organized and notices everything.)
MAURA
Será por eso que se encuentra cosas perdidas todo el tiempo.
(Maybe that’s why she comes across lost things all the time.)
CARLA
Puede ser. Ayer me dijo que se encontró un billete de diez euros en la puerta de la casa.
(Could be. Yesterday she told me that she found a 10 euro bill at the door of the house.)
With él, ella, and es, the ending is -A.
That’s why we say:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Él encuentra muy buenas ofertas. | He finds great deals. |
| Google encuentra todo lo que necesitas. | Google finds everything you need. |
“Encontrarse” in this case needs the pronoun “se.”
Besides feeling well or poorly physically-emotionally, “to find oneself” can also mean to come across something or someone by surprise. For example:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Amanda se encuentra dinero en la calle cada vez que sale. | Amanda comes across money in the street every time she goes out. |
| Mauricio se encuentra a su ex casi todos los fines de semana. | Maurici bumps into his ex almost every weekend. |
4. Nosotros/as encontramos, Nosotros/as nos encontramos
MAURA
Amanda se encuentra dinero y nosotras nunca nos encontramos nada.
(Amanda comes across money and we never come across anything.)
CARLA
Claro que sí, ¿no te acuerdas de la bufanda que nos encontramos en la plaza?
(Of course we do, don’t you remember the scarf we came across at the square?)
MAURA
¡Se me había olvidado! Por cierto, encontramos el cargador.
(I had forgotten about it! By the way, we found the charger.)
CARLA
¿En serio? ¿Dónde estaba?
(Really? Where was it?)
MAURA
Debajo de tu cama.
(Under your bed.)
With “we”, the ending is the most obvious of all -MOS.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Encontramos un sitio buenísimo para comer comida coreana. | We found a great place to eat Korean food. |
| Si no encontramos una peli para ver rápido, me voy a la cama. | If we don’t find a movie to watch quickly, I’ll go to bed. |
| Encontramos la solución perfecta para tu problema. | We found the perfect solution for your problem. |
To conjugate ““encontrarse” we would use the pronoun “nos”. Like:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Nos encontramos a Alejandra con un chico nuevo. | We bumped into Alejandra with a new guy. |
| Si nos encontramos a Mauricio, te aviso. | If we run into Mauricio, I’ll let you know. |
| Nos encontramos esta cartera y no sabemos de quién es. | We came across this wallet and we don’t know whose it is. |
5. Ustedes, Ellos/as encuentran – Ustedes, Ellos/as se encuentran
CARLA
Ustedes encuentran cualquier cosa entonces. Porque yo miré debajo de la cama y no lo vi.
(You find anything then. Because I looked under the bed and didn’t see it.)
MAURA
¡Así somos!
(That’s how we are!)
CARLA
Por cierto, ¿ustedes sí se encuentran perfectamente bien? Porque yo siento que alguien me pegó una gripe o algo.
(By the way, are you guys feeling all right? Because I feel like someone gave me the flu or something.)
MAURA
Yo estoy perfectamente. ¿Te sigues empeorando?
(I’m perfectly fine. Are you still getting worse?)
CARLA
Mucho y rápidamente.
(A lot and quickly.)
With “ ustedes” and “ellos/as”, the conjugation is the same and ends in -AN. Things like:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Ellas siempre encuentran ropa súper barata. | They always find super cheap clothes. |
| Si ustedes encuentran mi anillo, les doy un premio. | If you find my ring, I’ll give you a prize. |
For the reflexive version, we use the pronoun “se,” just like with he, she, and it.
Furthermore, “encontrarse” can also serve to talk about where we meet with someone we are going to hang out with.
For example:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Avísenme si se encuentran cerca de mi casa para aprovechar e ir con ustedes. | Let me know if you are near my house so I can take advantage of it and go with you. |
| Ellos se encuentran en el bar de la esquina y de ahí ven qué hacer. | They meet at the bar on the corner and from there they see what to do. |
| Esas señoras siempre se encuentran en la plaza y se van juntas a pasear a los perros. | Those ladies alway meet at the square and go together to walk the dogs. |
