verb
to discover, to find out
B1
entdecken — to discover; to find out. Commonly means to discover something physically or to find out information. Uses auxiliary haben (Perfekt: hat entdeckt). Regular weak verb (Partizip II: entdeckt). Not reflexive or separable. Can be used with direct objects; no special preposition required.
Examples
Kolumbus entdeckte Amerika.
Columbus discovered America.
Wir haben gestern ein altes Fotoalbum entdeckt.
We discovered an old photo album yesterday.
Der Forscher entdeckte eine neue Art, nachdem er lange Proben untersucht hatte.
The researcher discovered a new species after he had examined samples for a long time.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine lifting a blanket ('Decke') to reveal a new object — you 'ent-decke' it.
Think 'enter' + 'decken' (cover) — you 'un-cover' something when you discover it.
N/A for verbs.
Notes
Entdecken is an inseparable-prefix verb (ent-). It is a regular (weak) verb and forms the perfect with 'haben'.