The lesson appears to focus on making a distinction between use of trouver (to find something) and trouver que (to think something). Yet in the examples the previously mentioned translation (post about a year ago) of the above remains 'he finds' not 'he thinks' and in a dashboard test today "Ils me trouvent charmant"and "Ils me trouvent que ...." were both given as being "they find me charming". Either there is a clear distinction between the 2 forms or there is not. At present the lesson quite clearly makes the case there is but the discordant examples and test answers are confusing. Edit required.
The verb trouver (to find) can be used differently depending on context in French.
(1) In French, you often use the verb trouver (to find) in a similar way as the verb penser (to think) to express an opinion, as follows:
Elle trouve qu'elles sont malpolies. = Elle pense qu'elles sont malpolies. (She thinks they're rude.)
Je trouve que c'est dangereux.
I think it's dangerous.
Je trouve qu'il a de bons arguments.
I think he's got good arguments.
In this context, just like with penser, you can never omit the que ('that').
See Penser que, croire que = To think that, to believe that
(2) You can also use trouver the same way you use 'to find (something to be ...)' in English, as follows:
Je trouve cela fascinant.
I find that fascinating.
Je trouve Martha intéressante.
I find Martha interesting.
Ils trouvent ces soirées ennuyeuses.
They find these parties boring.
ATTENTION:
When using this second structure with object pronouns (i.e. I find me / you / him / her / us / you / them), in French you will use me / te / le / la / nous / vous / les before the verb.
Elle les trouve malpolies.
She finds them rude.
Nous la trouvons exquise.
We find her exquisite.
Je te trouve dur avec lui.
I find you harsh on him.
See also the more advanced Using Le Subjonctif after penser, trouver. savoir, croire, prétendre + que in the negative
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Je te trouve dur avec lui.
I find you harsh on him.
Elle les trouve malpolies.
She finds them rude.
Nous la trouvons exquise.
We find her exquisite.
Elle trouve qu'elles sont malpolies.
She thinks they are rude.
Ils trouvent ces soirées ennuyeuses.
They find these parties boring.
Je trouve qu'il a de bons arguments.
I think he's got good arguments.
Je trouve Martha intéressante.
I find Martha interesting.
Il trouve que c'est une belle maison.
He finds that it's a beautiful house.
Je trouve cela fascinant.
I find that fascinating.
Je trouve que c'est dangereux.
I think it's dangerous.
Q&A Forum 8 questions, 10 answers
Maarten asked:View original
‘Il trouvé que c’est une belle maison’
The lesson appears to focus on making a distinction between use of trouver (to find something) and trouver que (to think something). Yet in the examples the previously mentioned translation (post about a year ago) of the above remains 'he finds' not 'he thinks' and in a dashboard test today "Ils me trouvent charmant"and "Ils me trouvent que ...." were both given as being "they find me charming". Either there is a clear distinction between the 2 forms or there is not. At present the lesson quite clearly makes the case there is but the discordant examples and test answers are confusing. Edit required.
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RuthKwiziq community member
If que always follow je trouve, then how can answer be correct?
The lesson states that « que » always follows « Je trouve » yet « Je trouve que Halloween est... » is given as a right answer.
Asked 6 days ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Trouver can, of course, also be used without que.
Je trouve Sean negligent. -- I find Sean negligent.
Je trouve que John est négligent. -- I find that Sean is negligent.
If there isn't another subject following, you don't use que.
Ruth asked:View original
If que always follow je trouve, then how can answer be correct?
The lesson states that « que » always follows « Je trouve » yet « Je trouve que Halloween est... » is given as a right answer.
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MarritKwiziq community member
Answer of question
In the quiz I got 'Elle trouve ________ beau'. I answered: que t'es. However, this was counted wrong and instead it should be que tu es. Would my contraction be incorrect?
Asked 4 months ago
Bonjour Marrit !
Usually, “tu” is never elided, though you may use the contracted form of ‘tu’ in very informal everyday speech (preferably when talking within a family setting).
Saying, “que tu es beau” seems elegant and hence is more acceptable.
Hope this helps !
Marrit asked:View original
Answer of question
In the quiz I got 'Elle trouve ________ beau'. I answered: que t'es. However, this was counted wrong and instead it should be que tu es. Would my contraction be incorrect?
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TomKwiziq community member
Why couldn't you say (for example) "Il nous trouve être ennuyeux"?
Asked 9 months ago
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CarolynKwiziq community member
In the example above ‘Il trouvé que c’est une belle maison’, shouldn’t the translation be ‘He thinks it is a beautiful house’
Asked 1 year ago
Carolyn asked:View original
In the example above ‘Il trouvé que c’est une belle maison’, shouldn’t the translation be ‘He thinks it is a beautiful house’
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StewartKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Distinction between 1. and 2. above
I'm not quite grasping the distinction between 1. and 2. above. In the example 'Je trouve Martha intéressante' surely this is also an opinion and as such could it also be stated as 'Je trouve que Martha est interessante?'
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Stewart, I also believe that the distinction is mostly a stylistic nuance.
I find Martha interesting. Versus: I think Martha is interesting.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Stewart asked:View original
Distinction between 1. and 2. above
I'm not quite grasping the distinction between 1. and 2. above. In the example 'Je trouve Martha intéressante' surely this is also an opinion and as such could it also be stated as 'Je trouve que Martha est interessante?'
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JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
So when should we use trouver and when to use penser?
Are they completely interchangeable?
Asked 2 years ago
JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I mean to express an opinion, of course. In English I see "I think" but when it comes to french, I see je pense, je crois or je trouve, and I never know when to use which.
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi John, I find these work the same way as they do in English, on the whole (see what I did there? ;) ) The same nuances apply in French as they do in English for find/think/believe, although Aurélie may have a more sophisticated view on this than I. Hope that's helpful though.
JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
As I mentioned above, "I think" in English doesn't always translate to "je pense." So I don't think they are the SAME nuances. The other problem is that when it translates to je ne pense pas que or je ne crois pas que, then I have to use subjunctive while je ne trouve pas que doesn't go with subjunctive. So the nuances are definitely not the same. Basically I'm looking for cases where I can use trouver so I don't have to use subjunctive :-)
GruffKwiziq team member
The nuance between thinking, finding (i.e. experiencing, or simply expressing a thought more politely or less forcefully) and believing is very similar to those distinctions in English. Subjunctive is another matter, but is used with trouver as well as penser in the negative (unless you drop the que?)...
John asked:View original
So when should we use trouver and when to use penser?
Are they completely interchangeable?
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DoraidaKwiziq community member
I can't hear the audio, when I press the speaker, the page changes, this happen with all the pages
Asked 3 years ago
Doraida asked:View original
I can't hear the audio, when I press the speaker, the page changes, this happen with all the pages
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