What is the difference between trovare and trovarsi in Italian? Are there any situations where you have to use one or the other? Are these verbs even interchangeable?
In this lesson, we will look at how to use these verbs with the help of many audio recordings and example sentences. Read on to learn all you need to know about the difference between trovare and trovarsi!
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Trovare and trovarsi in Italian
Many students confuse trovare with trovarsi and vice versa. At first glance, these verbs may look like synonyms for “to find”. In reality, however, the difference between trovare and trovarsi in Italian is very clear and these verbs are not interchangeable at all.
Trovare means “to find”.
Trovare
To find
Ho trovato gli occhiali sotto al giornale.
I found my glasses under the newspaper.
Trovarsi, on the other hand, means to be in a certain place and can be literally translated as “to find oneself”. It’s a reflexive verb (reflexive verbs in Italian end in -rsi).
Trovarsi
To be in a certain place
(To find oneself)
Dove si trova la banca?
Where is the bank?
Still confused about the difference between trovare and trovarsi in Italian? Let’s take a closer look at each verb.
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
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How do you use trovare in Italian?
As we said, trovare translates as to find. It’s a transitive verb because it can be placed in front of a direct object.
Hai trovato il tuo zaino?
Did you find your backpack?
Dove posso trovare una farmacia?
Where can I find a pharmacy?
Non abbiamo ancora trovato una soluzione.
We haven’t found a solution yet.
Trovare can also translate as “to think, to believe”.
Trovo che questo pesce sia delizioso.
I find this fish delicious.
Some very common expressions with trovare in Italian are…
- trovare pane per i propri denti, to meet one’s match
- trovare lavoro, to find a job
- trovare la morte, to die
- trovare la Mecca, to find a fortune
How do you use trovarsi in Italian?
Trovarsi, unlike trovare, cannot be translated into English as “to find”. It translates “to be located”. It’s an intransitive verb, so it will not be followed by a direct object. It needs a preposition.
For example, you could say…
Mi trovo a Venezia. Tu dove sei?
You speak too fast.
Paolo si trova in montagna.
Paolo is in the mountains.
Another difference between trovare and trovarsi in Italian is that trovarsi can also translate “to meet at”, as in…
Dove ci troviamo stasera?
Where are we meeting tonight?
Che ne dici di trovarci davanti alla banca alle 9?
How about meeting in front of the bank at 9 o’clock?
Some common expressions with trovarsi in Italian are…
- trovarsi bene, to be comfortable
- trovarsi a proprio agio, to feel at ease
- trovarsi male, to not feel ad ease
For example, you could say…
Ti trovi bene nella tua nuova casa?
Are you comfortable in your new home?
Luca non si trova a proprio agio in mezzo a una folla
Are you comfortable in your new home?
And that’s the end of our lesson on the difference between trovare and trovarsi in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen the difference between trovare and trovarsi in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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