finden simple past (Präteritum) conjugation
Finden (to find) in the simple past (Präteritum): fand, fandest, fand, fanden, fandet, fanden.
Präteritum Simple past
| ich | regular: findete |
|---|---|
| du | regular: findetest |
| er/sie/es | regular: findete |
| wir | regular: findeten |
| ihr | regular: findetet |
| sie/Sie | regular: findeten |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the simple past (Präteritum)
The Präteritum is the past tense of written narrative. In speech it is used mainly for sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs; other verbs usually take the Perfekt.
How it is formed
Weak verbs add te, test, te, ten, tet, ten to the stem (machte). Strong verbs change the stem vowel and take no ending in ich and er/sie/es (ging, sah, kam).
Finden is irregular here. 6 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give findete, findetest, findete, findeten, findetet, findeten.
Read more: German past tense: Perfekt vs Präteritum
Finden in a sentence
- Ich finde meinen Schlüssel nicht.I can't find my key.
- Sie hat die Lösung gefunden.She found the solution.
Irregular strong verb; also used to mean 'to think/consider' (Ich finde das gut).
FAQ
What is the simple past (Präteritum) of finden?
Finden in the German simple past (Präteritum): ich fand, du fandest, er/sie/es fand, wir fanden, ihr fandet, sie/Sie fanden.
Is finden irregular in the simple past (Präteritum)?
Yes. 6 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: ich fand (regular would be findete); du fandest (regular would be findetest); er/sie/es fand (regular would be findete); wir fanden (regular would be findeten); ihr fandet (regular would be findetet); sie/Sie fanden (regular would be findeten).
When do you use the German simple past (Präteritum)?
The Präteritum is the past tense of written narrative. In speech it is used mainly for sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs; other verbs usually take the Perfekt.
How is the simple past (Präteritum) formed?
Weak verbs add te, test, te, ten, tet, ten to the stem (machte). Strong verbs change the stem vowel and take no ending in ich and er/sie/es (ging, sah, kam).
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