encuentran

Encuentran is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb encontrar. It corresponds to "they find" or "you all find" depending on the subject, and is used with a direct object to indicate locating something, meeting a requirement, or discovering a fact or solution.

Morphology and tense: encontrar is a stem-changing -ar verb. In the present tense, most forms involve an o-to-ue change in the stem, producing forms such as encuentro, encuentras, encuentra, encontramos, encontráis, encuentran. The form "encuentran" combines the stem "encuentr-" with the standard present endings "-an" for an ellos/ellas/ustedes subject.

Usage and senses: the primary sense of encontrar is "to find" something tangible or abstract. Examples include "Ellos encuentran la llave" (They find the key) or "Las ideas que encuentran son útiles" (The ideas they find are useful). The verb can also express discovering a conclusion or result: "Encuentran la solución tras analizar los datos." When referring to meeting someone, Spanish typically uses the reflexive form se encuentran: "Se encuentran en la entrada" (They meet at the entrance).

Etymology: encontrar derives from Latin incontra- (from en- “in” + contra- “against”) and entered Spanish through Old Spanish, evolving into the modern form encontr ar with the present tense stem change.

In everyday use, encuentran appears in journalism, literature, and speech to convey locating, discovering, or determining something by effort, experience, or analysis.