befindet

Befindet is the third-person singular present indicative form of the German verb befinden, most often used with the reflexive pronoun sich to express location or state. In the common construction sich befinden, it means “to be located” or “to be in a certain condition,” as in Der Ort befindet sich in der Nähe.

The verb befinden also exists in a transitive sense, meaning “to deem” or “to find,” with a different grammatical pattern. In the simple past, you would say er befand sich (for the reflexive form) or er befand ihn/sie/etwas für … in the non-reflexive sense. The past participle is befunden, used with haben in perfect tense (Der Bericht hat sie als unschuldig befunden) and with sich in reflexive constructions (Der Ort hat sich in der Nähe befunden). The present infinitive is befinden, and the related noun das Befinden means “well-being” or “state of health.”

Usage notes and examples:

- Location or state: Der Standort befindet sich in München. Die Lage befindet sich im Nordwesten des Landes.

- State of health or appraisal: Der Patient befindet sich in gutem Befinden. Die Ärzte befanden den Patient für stabil.

Etymology and related terms:

Befinden comes from a prefix be- attached to finden (to find), giving a sense of "to determine or locate." The noun Befinden is distinct from the verb forms and is commonly used in medical, legal, or formal contexts to refer to someone’s condition or mood.

In sum, befindet is a key present-tense form used primarily to indicate location or state, while befinden as a whole covers both locational and evaluative senses, with Befinden as a related noun expressing well-being.