herausfinden

Herausfinden is a German verb meaning to find out or to discover something, typically through investigation, questioning, or reasoning. It denotes obtaining information that was previously unknown and is common in both formal and informal language. The prefix heraus- with finden makes it a separable-prefix verb; in the present tense the prefix is separated, as in ich finde es heraus, du findest es heraus, er findet es heraus. In the perfect tense the participle is herausgefunden and used with haben: ich habe es herausgefunden. The simple past is ich fand es heraus.

Usage and nuance: The verb is often followed by a clause introduced by dass, as in ich habe herausgefunden, dass er gelogen hat, or by a direct question, wie man das macht. It can also appear with nachforschungen or ermitteln to express a more formal sense. Synonyms include ermitteln, feststellen, entdecken, erfahren. The nuance is that herausfinden emphasizes the act of discovering something not previously known, typically through inquiry or deduction, whereas erfahren can mean simply learning information one comes to know.

Examples: Ich habe herausgefunden, wie das Programm funktioniert. Wir müssen herausfinden, wer verantwortlich ist. Es ist nötig, herauszufinden, welcher Plan am besten ist.