Inklingo

encontrarlos

en-kon-TRAR-lohs/enkonˈtraɾlos/

encontrarlos means to find them in Spanish (locating objects or people).

to find them

Also: to meet them
VerbA2spelling-change (o to ue) ar
A person looking through high-quality binoculars and pointing happily at a group of colorful birds in a tree.
gerundencontrándolos
past Participleencontrado
infinitiveencontrar

📝 In Action

He perdido mis guantes y no puedo encontrarlos.

A1

I have lost my gloves and I cannot find them.

Si vas al parque, es probable encontrarlos allí.

A2

If you go to the park, it is likely you will find them there.

Necesito los documentos; ¿puedes ayudame a encontrarlos?

A2

I need the documents; can you help me find them?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • hallarlos (to find them (more formal))
  • localizarlos (to locate them)

Antonyms

  • perderlos (to lose them)

Common Collocations

  • difícil de encontrarloshard to find them
  • imposible encontrarlosimpossible to find them

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesencontraran
yoencontrara
encontraras
vosotrosencontrarais
nosotrosencontráramos
él/ella/ustedencontrara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesencuentren
yoencuentre
encuentres
vosotrosencontréis
nosotrosencontremos
él/ella/ustedencuentre

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesencontraron
yoencontré
encontraste
vosotrosencontrasteis
nosotrosencontramos
él/ella/ustedencontró

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesencontraban
yoencontraba
encontrabas
vosotrosencontrabais
nosotrosencontrábamos
él/ella/ustedencontraba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesencuentran
yoencuentro
encuentras
vosotrosencontráis
nosotrosencontramos
él/ella/ustedencuentra

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: encontrarlos

Question 1 of 2

What does the '-los' at the end of 'encontrarlos' represent?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
🎵 Rhymes
buscarlosllamarlostomarlos
📚 Etymology

From the Spanish verb 'encontrar', which comes from the Late Latin word 'incontrare', meaning 'to come across' or 'to meet face to face'. The suffix '-los' is the masculine plural direct object pronoun.

First recorded: 12th century (base verb)

Cognates (Related words)

English: encounterItalian: incontrare

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I say 'los encontrar' separately?

Not exactly. You can say 'Los quiero encontrar' (I want to find them), where the 'los' comes before the main verb, or 'Quiero encontrarlos' (I want to find them). You cannot just have 'los' sitting alone before an infinitive.

Does 'encontrarlos' mean people or things?

It can be both! As long as the things or people are masculine (or a mixed-gender group of people), you use '-los'.