find out – learn – discover

Humble   Mon May 14, 2007 10:09 am GMT
Hi,
Please, which would you choose:

For anyone learning English it’s no doubt comforting to (find out – learn – discover) that native speakers make mistakes, too.

My choice is learn/discover.

Thanks.
Guest   Mon May 14, 2007 10:22 am GMT
My natural choice will be "learn" in this instance.
furrykef   Mon May 14, 2007 10:35 am GMT
All of them are interchangeable to me.
Humble   Tue May 15, 2007 4:58 am GMT
You mean interchangeable here, Kef, don't you?
Actually it's from the BBC and they use "find out", which surprised me, because I've always thought "find out" implies some effort:
- Please find out when the train starts/ her address/ what's the fare to Louisville etc.
furrykef   Tue May 15, 2007 6:30 am GMT
Right, the phrases aren't interchangeable in every context, but they are in this context. "Find out" sounds fine to me. It does often imply some effort, but it can also be used to mean to find by chance. Just as you can "find" a quarter lying on the road without deliberately searching for one, you can "find out" something you weren't necessarily looking for.

- Kef
Humble   Tue May 15, 2007 7:12 am GMT
Thank you, Kef.