Encontrarse
Encontrarse con = to run into someone: me encontré con Ana en el súper. Encontrarse + adjective = to feel: no me encuentro bien (I don't feel well). And encontrar + adjective = to find something (to be): lo encuentro muy interesante.
Indicative tenses of encontrar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | encuentroI find |
|---|---|
| tú | encuentrasyou find |
| él/ella/usted | encuentrahe/she finds |
| nosotros/as | encontramoswe find |
| vosotros/as | encontráisyou all find |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encuentranthey find |
Stem change o → ue, except for nosotros and vosotros: encontramos.
Preterite indicative
| yo | encontréI found |
|---|---|
| tú | encontrasteyou found |
| él/ella/usted | encontróhe/she found |
| nosotros/as | encontramoswe found |
| vosotros/as | encontrasteisyou all found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encontraronthey found |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | encontrabaI used to find |
|---|---|
| tú | encontrabasyou used to find |
| él/ella/usted | encontrabahe/she used to find |
| nosotros/as | encontrábamoswe used to find |
| vosotros/as | encontrabaisyou all used to find |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encontrabanthey used to find |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy encontrandoI am finding |
|---|---|
| tú | estás encontrandoyou are finding |
| él/ella/usted | está encontrandohe/she is finding |
| nosotros/as | estamos encontrandowe are finding |
| vosotros/as | estáis encontrandoyou all are finding |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están encontrandothey are finding |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a encontrarI am going to find |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a encontraryou are going to find |
| él/ella/usted | va a encontrarhe/she is going to find |
| nosotros/as | vamos a encontrarwe are going to find |
| vosotros/as | vais a encontraryou all are going to find |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a encontrarthey are going to find |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | encontraréI will find |
|---|---|
| tú | encontrarásyou will find |
| él/ella/usted | encontraráhe/she will find |
| nosotros/as | encontraremoswe will find |
| vosotros/as | encontraréisyou all will find |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encontraránthey will find |
Conditional indicative
| yo | encontraríaI would find |
|---|---|
| tú | encontraríasyou would find |
| él/ella/usted | encontraríahe/she would find |
| nosotros/as | encontraríamoswe would find |
| vosotros/as | encontraríaisyou all would find |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encontraríanthey would find |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he encontradoI have found |
|---|---|
| tú | has encontradoyou have found |
| él/ella/usted | ha encontradohe/she has found |
| nosotros/as | hemos encontradowe have found |
| vosotros/as | habéis encontradoyou all have found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han encontradothey have found |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había encontradoI had found |
|---|---|
| tú | habías encontradoyou had found |
| él/ella/usted | había encontradohe/she had found |
| nosotros/as | habíamos encontradowe had found |
| vosotros/as | habíais encontradoyou all had found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían encontradothey had found |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré encontradoI will have found |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás encontradoyou will have found |
| él/ella/usted | habrá encontradohe/she will have found |
| nosotros/as | habremos encontradowe will have found |
| vosotros/as | habréis encontradoyou all will have found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán encontradothey will have found |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría encontradoI would have found |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías encontradoyou would have found |
| él/ella/usted | habría encontradohe/she would have found |
| nosotros/as | habríamos encontradowe would have found |
| vosotros/as | habríais encontradoyou all would have found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían encontradothey would have found |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of encontrar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | encuentre(that) I find |
|---|---|
| tú | encuentres(that) you find |
| él/ella/usted | encuentre(that) he/she finds |
| nosotros/as | encontremos(that) we find |
| vosotros/as | encontréis(that) you all find |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encuentren(that) they find |
Same stem change in the present subjunctive: encuentre.
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | encontrara(if) I found |
|---|---|
| tú | encontraras(if) you found |
| él/ella/usted | encontrara(if) he/she found |
| nosotros/as | encontráramos(if) we found |
| vosotros/as | encontrarais(if) you all found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encontraran(if) they found |
Future subjunctive
| yo | encontrare(if) I find |
|---|---|
| tú | encontrares(if) you find |
| él/ella/usted | encontrare(if) he/she finds |
| nosotros/as | encontráremos(if) we find |
| vosotros/as | encontrareis(if) you all find |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | encontraren(if) they find |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya encontrado(that) I have found |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas encontrado(that) you have found |
| él/ella/usted | haya encontrado(that) he/she has found |
| nosotros/as | hayamos encontrado(that) we have found |
| vosotros/as | hayáis encontrado(that) you all have found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan encontrado(that) they have found |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera encontrado(if) I had found |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras encontrado(if) you had found |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera encontrado(if) he/she had found |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos encontrado(if) we had found |
| vosotros/as | hubierais encontrado(if) you all had found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran encontrado(if) they had found |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere encontrado(if) I will have found |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres encontrado(if) you will have found |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere encontrado(if) he/she will have found |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos encontrado(if) we will have found |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis encontrado(if) you all will have found |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren encontrado(if) they will have found |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of encontrar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | encuentrafind! |
|---|---|
| usted | encuentrefind! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | encontremoslet's find! |
| vosotros/as | encontradfind! (you all) |
| ustedes | encuentrenfind! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no encuentresdon't find! |
|---|---|
| usted | no encuentredon't find! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no encontremoslet's not find! |
| vosotros/as | no encontréisdon't find! (you all) |
| ustedes | no encuentrendon't find! (you all, formal) |
Practice encontrar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and encontrar.
How to use encontrar
No encuentro mis llaves.
I can't find my keys.
Me encontré con Pablo.
I ran into Pablo.
No me encuentro bien.
I don't feel well.
Lo encuentro muy útil.
I find it very useful.
El hotel se encuentra en el centro.
The hotel is in the center.
Example sentences with encontrar
- ¿Encontraste trabajo?Did you find a job?
- No encuentro mi móvil.I can't find my phone.
- Encontramos un restaurante genial.We found a great restaurant.
- Nunca encontraba aparcamiento.I could never find parking.
- Ya lo encontrarás.You'll find it.
- ¿Dónde encontraría un buen médico?Where would I find a good doctor?
- Espero que encuentres lo que buscas.I hope you find what you're looking for.
- ¿Has encontrado las llaves?Have you found the keys?
Verbs like encontrar
Like encontrar (encuentro), these verbs change o → ue in the present.
Frequently asked questions about encontrar
Is encontrar regular or irregular?
Encontrar is a stem-changing verb: o → ue in the present (encuentro), the present subjunctive (encuentre) and the commands. All other tenses are regular.
How do you conjugate encontrar in the present tense?
encuentro, encuentras, encuentra, encontramos, encontráis, encuentran.
How do you conjugate encontrar in the preterite?
encontré, encontraste, encontró, encontramos, encontrasteis, encontraron. The preterite is fully regular.
What is the difference between encontrar and encontrarse?
Encontrar = to find (encontré el libro). Encontrarse = to feel (me encuentro mejor) or to run into someone (me encontré con Ana).
Encontrar or buscar?
Buscar = to look for. Encontrar = to find. Busco mis llaves, pero no las encuentro.
What is the past participle of encontrar?
The past participle is encontrado and the gerund is encontrando.
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