comprender (spanish) - meaning, definition, translation, pronunciation

Part of Speech

Verb

Phonetic Transcription

kom.pren'der

Meanings and Usage

Meanings: The verb "comprender" in Spanish means "to understand" or "to comprehend." It is used to express the action of grasping the meaning or significance of something.

Usage: "Comprender" is a common verb in Spanish and is used both in oral and written contexts. It is widely used in everyday conversations, as well as in formal writing. It is a regular verb that follows standard conjugation patterns.

Verb Conjugation

• Present: yo comprendo, tú comprendes, él/ella comprende, nosotros/nosotras comprendemos, vosotros/vosotras comprendéis, ellos/ellas comprenden
• Preterite: yo comprendí, tú comprendiste, él/ella comprendió, nosotros/nosotras comprendimos, vosotros/vosotras comprendisteis, ellos/ellas comprendieron
• Imperfect: yo comprendía, tú comprendías, él/ella comprendía, nosotros/nosotras comprendíamos, vosotros/vosotras comprendíais, ellos/ellas comprendían
• Future: yo comprenderé, tú comprenderás, él/ella comprenderá, nosotros/nosotras comprenderemos, vosotros/vosotras comprenderéis, ellos/ellas comprenderán

Gerund

Gerund: comprendiendo

Examples

1. No comprendo lo que estás diciendo. (I don't understand what you are saying.)
2. ¿Comprendes la lección de matemáticas? (Do you understand the math lesson?)

Idiomatic Expressions

"Comprender" is often used in various idiomatic expressions in Spanish:

1. No comprender razones: Not to understand reasons (to not have a clue).

2. No comprendo razones por las que actuó así. (I don't understand reasons why he acted that way.)

3. Comprender a medias: To understand halfway (to partially understand).

4. Solo comprendo a medias lo que nos explicó. (I only partially understand what he explained to us.)

5. Comprender de qué va la cosa: To understand what the thing is about (to grasp the situation).

6. Intento comprender de qué va la cosa, pero no lo consigo. (I'm trying to grasp the situation, but I can't.)

7. Comprender plenamente: To fully understand (to comprehend entirely).

8. Es importante comprender plenamente la situación antes de tomar decisiones. (It's important to fully understand the situation before making decisions.)

9. Comprender en su totalidad: To understand in its entirety (to comprehend completely).

10. Necesito comprender en su totalidad el proyecto antes de comenzar. (I need to understand the project in its entirety before starting.)

Etymology

The verb "comprender" comes from the Latin word "comprehendĕre," which combines "com-" (together) and "prehendĕre" (to seize).

Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms: entender (to understand), captar (to grasp), asimilar (to assimilate), percibir (to perceive)

Antonyms: confundir (to confuse), desentenderse (to ignore), ignorar (to ignore), despistarse (to get lost)