イギリス英会話ブログ

In this post we are going to look at a special use of the verb ‘find’. If we take the question in the title - ‘How did you find it?’ - we would probably translate it into a Japanese as something like 「それをどうやって見つけたんですか？」. But, this question can have a completely different meaning - it could mean something like ‘How was it?’, 「どうでしたか」、「それをどう思ったか」, etc..

For example, you might ask a foreign friend who has come to Japan recently : “How are you finding Japan?”. In this case, you are asking your friend whether she is having a good time and what she thinks and how she feels about Japan. A simple conversation might go something like this :

A : How are you finding Japan?

B : Oh, it’s fascinating - I’m having a great time. Everything is so different.

Heres another example :

A : How did you find the film?

B : Well, it was alright, I suppose. Quite entertaining, but a bit stupid really.

Let’s think about the meaning for a moment. This expression is one example of a time when English people are thinking in a completely different way to Japanese people, so you need to make a mental jump into the mind of an English person in order to understand this use of ‘find’.

If you think about it, when you find something you usually feel some kind of reaction - for example, if you find a 5,000 yen note on the pavement you might feel happy or lucky; if you looked in your post-box and found a pile of payment demands from your various credit card companies you might feel a little depressed or worried.

In the same way, experiencing something for the first time is a little like ‘finding something’ - at least it is in the mind of an Englishman. So when we ask ‘how are you finding …. ?’, we are asking for someone’s reaction to something. This kind of question is usually used to ask about someone’s reaction to a new experience.

This use of the verb ‘find’ is very good English and there are very few foreigners who know how to use it even though it is quite common in everyday speech. So, well worth remembering…

Finally, see if you can translate these questions into English using the verb ‘find’ - check the audio for the answers :

1. 新しい仕事は、どうですか？
2. 新しい近所は、どうですか？
3. （その）本は、どうでしたか？
4. 子供たちは、新しい学校は、どうですか？

You can also use ‘find’ with this meaning in positive or negative sentences to say how you feel or think about something.

• I found his behaviour a little odd.
• He is finding it rather difficult.
• I don’t find it interesting.
• She found him easy to get along with.

That’s all for this time…