Irregular verbs in English, past tense of Find: Find - Found - Found

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What is the past tense of Find? The base form (V0), past tense (V2), and past participle (V3) of Find are respectively Find, Found, and Found. Do the conjugations of the verb Find in different tenses and structures in English share similarities? Let’s explore this with PREP in the article below!

I. What is Find?
II. What are the V0, V2, V3 forms of Find? The past tense of Find in English
III. Conjugation of the verb Find
1. 1. In tenses
2. 2. In special sentence structures
IV. Phrasal Verbs with Find in English
V. Idioms with Find in English
VI. Exercises on applying the past tense of Find with answers
1. 1. Exercise
2. 2. Answer key

I. What is Find?

What is the past tense of Find? First, let's understand the concept of Find with PREP! Find is pronounced /faɪnd/ and serves as a verb and noun with various meanings as follows:

Meaning	Example
to discover or locate something after a search or investigation. (v)	John found his lost keys under the couch.
to realize or understand something (v)	Emily found that the new software was more efficient than the old one.
the result of a search or research; a discovery (n)	Sarah shared her finds with the team during the meeting.

II. What are the V0, V2, V3 forms of Find? The past tense of Find in English

What is the past tense of Find? V0, V2, and V3 are abbreviations for: base form, simple past, and past participle of Find. Let's take a closer look at the V0, V2, and V3 forms of Find in the table below!

Verb form		Example
V0	Find /faɪnd/	They always find the solution to the problem after a long search.
V2	Found /faʊnd/	They have already found the solution to the problem after a long search.
V3	Found /faʊnd/	They have found the solution to the problem after a long search.

Find past tense and past participle are: Find in past simple is Found and Find past participle is also Found. Therefore, Find past perfect is Had Found.

III. Conjugation of the verb Find

What is the past tense of Find? How is the verb Find conjugated in the 12 tenses of English and special structures? Let's explore this with PREP right below!

1. In tenses

12 tenses in English	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Present simple tense	find	finds	find
	I find this book very interesting. She finds her job challenging but rewarding. They find it hard to get along with their new neighbors.
Present progressive tense	am finding	is finding	are finding
	I am finding it difficult to focus on my studies today. She is finding new ways to improve her cooking skills. They are finding that their project is taking longer than expected.
Present perfect tense	have found	has found	have found
	I have found a great restaurant for us to try. She has found several errors in the report. They have found a solution to the problem.
Present perfect progressive tense	have been finding	has been finding	have been finding
	I have been finding it increasingly difficult to balance work and personal life. She has been finding new ways to stay healthy. They have been finding that their efforts are finally paying off.
Past simple tense	found	found	found
	I found my old photographs while cleaning the attic. She found a new hobby that she really enjoys. They found the concert tickets in the bottom of the drawer.
Past progressive tense	was finding	was finding	were finding
	I was finding it hard to get up early on weekends. She was finding the book while searching through her old notes. They were finding that their plan needed more adjustments.
Past perfect tense	had found	had found	had found
	I had found the perfect gift before the party started. She had found a new job by the time she moved to the city. They had found a new route to work before the traffic got worse.
Past perfect progressive tense	had been finding	had been finding	had been finding
	I had been finding it difficult to manage my time before I hired an assistant. She had been finding new techniques for painting before she started her art class. They had been finding ways to improve their business strategies before the market changed.
Future simple tense	will find	will find	will find
	I will find a solution to this issue by tomorrow. She will find the suitable location for the meeting. They will find out the results of the experiment next week.
Future progressive tense	will be finding	will be finding	will be finding
	I will be finding new strategies to improve performance throughout the year. She will be finding new clients while attending the conference next month. They will be finding additional resources to support their project next quarter.
Future perfect tense	will have found	will have found	will have found
	I will have found the answer to your question by the end of the day. She will have found a new house by next month. They will have found a solution to the problem by the time the report is due.
Future perfect progressive tense	will have been finding	will have been finding	will have been finding
	I will have been finding the best practices for improving efficiency by the end of the project. She will have been finding new ways to enhance her skills over the past few months. They will have been finding ways to reduce costs for their business before the next fiscal year.

2. In special sentence structures

Special Structure	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Conditional Sentences
Second conditional - Main Clause	would find	would find	would find
Second conditional - Main Clause	I would find it easier to focus if I had a quieter workspace. She would find more success if she took more time to prepare for her presentations. They would find it more enjoyable if they had better equipment for their trial.
Third conditional - Main Clause	would have found	would have found	would have found
Third conditional - Main Clause	I would have found the solution if I had had more time to work on the problem. She would have found the missing files if she had checked the archive more thoroughly. They would have found the right answer if they had reviewed the material more carefully.
Subjunctive Mood
Subjunctive expressing present situation	find	find	find
Subjunctive expressing present situation contrary to fact	found	found	found
Subjunctive expressing past situation contrary to fact	had found	had found	had found
Example	If I find a new café, I will definitely share it with you. If she found the job more satisfying, she would stay longer at the company. If they had found the error in the report earlier, they would have corrected it before submission.

IV. Phrasal Verbs with Find in English

In addition to the information about the verb Find in the past tense, let’s identify the phrasal verbs with Find in English right below, shall we?

Phrasal verb with Find	Meaning	Example
find out (something)	to discover or learn something that was previously unknown to the user, often through research or investigation	John found out the meeting was canceled only after he arrived at the office.
find someone out	to discover that someone has done something wrong or to uncover the truth about a person	Mark found out Steve’s deceitful behavior when he checked the financial reports.

V. Idioms with Find in English

In addition to the information about the past tense of Find, let's gather some idioms with Find in English below, shall we?

Idioms with Find	Meaning	Example
be found	to be discovered or located; to exist or occur in a specified place.	Emma was relieved when her lost keys were finally found under the couch.
nowhere to be found	not present in any location; unable to be found.	Sophie looked everywhere for her missing book, but it was nowhere to be found.
not anywhere to be found	not present in any location; unable to be found.	Lily searched her entire house for the missing ring, but it was not anywhere to be found.
tried and found wanting	similar to "nowhere to be found," indicating that something is completely absent or not located in any place	Laura’s new idea was tried during the meeting but was found wanting compared to other proposals.

VI. Exercises on applying the past tense of Find with answers

To better understand the past tense of Find, let's complete the following exercise on verb conjugation together!

1. Exercise

I (find) _________ a new café near my house every weekend.
Anna (find) _________ a beautiful shell on the beach last summer.
They (find) _________ many interesting places in the city over the past month.
I (find) _________ an old letter while I was cleaning the attic.
Emi (find) _________ a great restaurant when she visits Paris next week.
They (find) _________ a solution after discussing all night.
I (find) _________ a new job and am still working there now.
Anna (find) _________ her lost keys this morning, but now they are safe.
They (find) _________ the answer after thinking for three hours.
I (find) _________ many rare coins before I started my collection.

2. Answer key

find
found
have found
was finding
will find

had been finding
have found
found
had found
had found

In this article, PREP has introduced you to the concept, idioms, phrasal verbs, and the past tense of Find. Stay tuned to PREP to keep updating your knowledge of useful English!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.