se trouver

/sə tʁuve/
verbIntermediate
general

To be located or situated in a particular place

Paris se trouve en France.

Paris is located in France.

Je me suis trouvé dans une situation difficile.

I found myself in a difficult situation.

💡

Can also mean 'to find oneself' in a certain state or situation.

general

To be in a certain state or condition

Il se trouve que je connais cette personne.

As it happens, I know this person.

💡

Used to express that something is the case by chance or coincidence.

Collocations

se trouver àto be located atse trouver dansto be inse trouver avecto have

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

se retrouverphrase
to end up in a situation

💡Pro Tip

Location vs. State

Use 'se trouver' for both physical location and abstract states. For example, 'Je me trouve fatigué' means 'I feel tired'.

Gold Rule

Reflexive Usage

'Se trouver' is reflexive, meaning it describes an action done to oneself. Do not use the non-reflexive form 'trouver' for this meaning.

📖Word Origin

From Old French 'trouver' (to find) and the reflexive pronoun 'se'.

📝Usage Notes

The reflexive form 'se trouver' is commonly used to describe location or state. The non-reflexive 'trouver' means 'to find' something or someone.

Word Breakdown

se
reflexive pronoun
prefix
+
trouver
to find
root
Dictionnaire Français-Anglais