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-   -   When to use preposition en with encontrar (http://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=22378)

masqcrew July 18, 2017 11:18 AM

When to use preposition en with encontrar
 
Greetings!

What's the difference between "encontrar" and "en encontrar"? When is it appropriate to add the preposition?

Thanks

aleCcowaN July 18, 2017 06:24 PM

One of many many cases is when encontrar is in a predicate and you want to express duration or set the time:

Tardó mucho en encontrar el repuesto.
Fue el primero en encontrar la respuesta.

But that is not exclusive of encontrar but a bunch of verbs.

Tardó mucho en venir a retirar el pedido.
Tardó mucho en terminar de pintar la habitación.

But that en in en encontrar that baffles you so much is mostly asked by the verb in the subject:

Se ha empecinado en encontrar errores (empecinarse en)
Esmérate en encontrar una armonía original (esmerarse en)
Insistieron en encontrar una solución de compromiso (insistir en)
Confía en encontrar el remedio... (confiar en)
Trabajar en encontrar la fórmula... (trabajar en)

In other cases en just follows a noun or an adjective:

experto en encontrar personas perdidas (experto en)

Some other times en is the chosen preposition to confer some specific meaning:

No tenía problemas para encontrar testigos (Finding witnesses was easy for her)
No tenía problemas en encontrar testigos (She was willing to find witnesses)

masqcrew July 19, 2017 01:19 PM

Quote:

But that en in en encontrar that baffles you so much is mostly asked by the verb in the subject:
Doh! Should have seen that pattern. Thanks.


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