Verb · stem change, o to ue
encontrar
to find
The thing that catches people out
encuentro, but encontramos. encontrarse con alguien is to meet someone by chance.
Present
What happens, and what is happening now.
| yo | encuentro | |
| tú | encuentras | |
| él, ella, usted | encuentra | |
| nosotros | encontramos | |
| ellos, ustedes | encuentran | |
| vosotros, Spain only | encontráis |
Preterite, the finished past
Something that happened and is over: yesterday, last year, once.
| yo | encontré | |
| tú | encontraste | |
| él, ella, usted | encontró | |
| nosotros | encontramos | |
| ellos, ustedes | encontraron | |
| vosotros, Spain only | encontrasteis |
Imperfect, the background past
What used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.
| yo | encontraba | |
| tú | encontrabas | |
| él, ella, usted | encontraba | |
| nosotros | encontrábamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | encontraban | |
| vosotros, Spain only | encontrabais |
Future
Will do. In conversation, ir a plus the verb is more common: voy a comer.
| yo | encontraré | |
| tú | encontrarás | |
| él, ella, usted | encontrará | |
| nosotros | encontraremos | |
| ellos, ustedes | encontrarán | |
| vosotros, Spain only | encontraréis |
Present perfect
Have done. Used far more in Spain, where it covers today; most of Latin America uses the preterite there.
| yo | he encontrado | |
| tú | has encontrado | |
| él, ella, usted | ha encontrado | |
| nosotros | hemos encontrado | |
| ellos, ustedes | han encontrado | |
| vosotros, Spain only | habéis encontrado |
Other forms
The -ing form, the form that follows he, has and ha, and how to tell someone to do it.
| -ing form | encontrando | |
| participle | encontrado | |
| command, to tú | encuentra | |
| command, to usted | encuentre |
In a sentence
no encuentro mi teléfono
I cannot find my phone
encontramos un buen restaurante
we found a good restaurant