encontramos

Encontramos is the first-person plural form of the Spanish verb encontrar and can appear in present or preterite tense depending on context. In the present tense it means “we find” or “we meet” when used with a direct object, while in the preterite it means “we found.” The form is also used with reflexive meaning, as in nos encontramos, which can translate to “we meet (each other)” or “we find ourselves.”

Etymology and origins: encontrar derives from Latin incontrāre, meaning “to come upon, to encounter,” formed from in- (in) and contra (against). The modern Spanish form reflects older prefixes and the evolution of the verb through Vulgar Latin into the Romance languages.

Conjugation notes: encontrar is a stem-changing verb in the present indicative. For most persons the stem changes from e to ie (encuentro, encuentras, encuentra, encontramos, encontráis, encuentran). The nosotros form, however, retains the older stem as encontramos, which can be confused with the preterite form of the same verb (encontramos) where the meaning is “we found.” The verb can take a direct object (encontrar algo) or a direct object with a person (encontrar a alguien). The reflexive usage nos encontramos means “we meet,” while encontrans is also used in the fixed expression encontrarse con to mean “to run into” someone.

Usage notes: synonyms include hallar, dar con, and topa con in some dialects. The related noun is encuentro (“encounter” or “meeting”), and the participle found is encontrado. The phrase encontrar with a or con constructions is common when locating people or objects, and encontrarse with con indicates social or incidental meetings.

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