In this short guide, we will cover the following topics for ‘comprender’ in Spanish:
- What does ‘Comprender’ mean?
- Comprender Conjugations
- How to Use ‘Comprender’ in Spanish
- Expressions & Idioms with ‘Comprender’
- Synonyms of ‘Comprender’ in Spanish
What does ‘Comprender’ mean?
Definition – ‘Comprender’ means ‘to understand’ or have a clear idea of what is being said, done or happening. This verb also describes the elements or things that are included into something.
- When expressing understanding, it is translated as ‘to understand’ or ‘to comprehend’.
- When talking about elements included in something, it is translated as ‘to comprise’, ‘to include’ or ‘to comprehend’.
‘Comprender’ Conjugations
The verb ’comprender’ in Spanish is regular. This means that once you have identified the stem (comprend), you’ll use it to conjugate most tenses. Remember that the future and conditional tenses are built with the verb in its infinitive form.
Indicative
Present tense conjugation
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Yo | comprendo | I understand |
Tú | comprendes | You understand |
Él / Ella / Usted | comprende | He/She understands |
Nosotros | comprendemos | We understand |
Vosotros | comprendéis | You understand |
Ustedes / Ellos / Ellas | comprenden | They/You understand |
Preterite tense conjugation
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Yo | comprendí | I understood |
Tú | comprendiste | You understood |
Él / Ella / Usted | comprendieron | He/She understood |
Nosotros | comprendimos | We understood |
Vosotros | comprendisteis | You understood |
Ustedes / Ellos / Ellas | comprendieron | They/You understood |
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Imperfect tense conjugation
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Yo | comprendía | I understood |
Tú | comprendías | You understood |
Él / Ella / Usted | comprendía | He/She understood |
Nosotros | comprendíamos | We understood |
Vosotros | comprendíais | You understood |
Ustedes / Ellos / Ellas | comprendían | They/You understood |
Future tense conjugation
To conjugate comprender in the future tense, you’ll use the verb in its infinitive form and add the endings underlined in the table below:
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Yo | comprenderé | I will understand |
Tú | comprenderás | You will understand |
Él / Ella / Usted | comprenderá | He/She will understand |
Nosotros | comprenderemos | We will understand |
Vosotros | comprenderéis | You will understand |
Ustedes / Ellos / Ellas | comprenderán | They/You will understand |
Conditional tense conjugation
Just like in the future tense, to conjugate the Spanish conditional, you’ll be working with the verb in infinitive form (comprender) and simply add the corresponding endings.
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Yo | comprendería | I would understand |
Tú | comprenderías | You would understand |
Él / Ella / Usted | comprendería | He/She would understand |
Nosotros | comprenderíamos | We would understand |
Vosotros | comprenderíais | You would understand |
Ustedes / Ellos / Ellas | comprenderían | They/You would understand |
Progressive Tenses
Creo que ya te estoy comprendiendo
I think that finally I’m understanding you
Perfect Tenses
Mariana no ha comprendido el tema
Mariana didn’t understand the topic
Creí que ustedes ya había comprendido lo que les dije
I thought you guys had understood what I told you
Comprender Subjunctive Conjugations
Present subjunctive conjugation
As a regular verb, you’ll use the stem comprend to conjugate ‘comprender’ in the present subjunctive. Make sure to add the corresponding endings shown in the table below.
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Yo | comprenda | To understand |
Tú | comprendas | To understand |
Él / Ella / Usted | comprenda | To understand |
Nosotros | comprendamos | To understand |
Vosotros | comprendais | To understand |
Ustedes / Ellos / Ellas | comprendan | To understand |
Imperfect subjunctive conjugations
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Yo | comprendiera / comprendiese | I understood |
Tú | comprendieras / comprendieses | You understood |
Él / Ella / Usted | comprendiera / comprendiese | He/She understood |
Nosotros | comprendiéramos / comprendiésemos | We understood |
Vosotros | comprendiérais / comprendieseis | You understood |
Ustedes / Ellos / Ellas | comprendieran / comprendiesen | They/You understood |
Perfect subjunctive
Espero que hayan comprendido el tema
I hope that you had understood the topic
Si hubieras comprendido, no habrías reprobado el examen
If you had understood the topic, you wouldn’t have failed the test
Imperative
Imperative conjugation
Notice that the imperative form uses different endings for its subjects. For tú and vosotros, the ending will include ‘e’; while nosotros and ustedes use ’a’. Check the conjugation chart below to see the examples:
Person | Conjugation | Translation |
---|---|---|
Tú | comprende | You understand |
Nosotros | comprendamos | We understand |
Vosotros | comprended | You understand |
Ustedes | comprendan | They/You understand |
How to Use ‘Comprender’ in Spanish with Examples
There are two main uses of the verb ‘comprender’ in Spanish.
- To talk about understanding
- To say ‘to comprise’
Below, you’ll find clear definitions and examples that will allow you to understand in which circumstances you can use this verb.
Expressing understanding
Given that ‘comprender’ is the direct translation of ‘to understand’, in Spanish, we use this verb to express understanding. In other words, we describe what we perceive and have a clear idea of what is being said, done or happening.
Below is a basic formula that you use for this situation.
[Comprender conjugated] + [definite article] + [topic or idea]
Mis compañeros no comprendían el subjuntivo.
My classmates didn’t understand the subjunctive tense.
Los empleados comprenden los objetivos y trabajan eficazmente.
The employees understand objectives and work effectively.
Comprendimos los conceptos principales del tema.
We understood the main concepts of the subject.
Comprenderías mejor la clase si pusieras atención.
You would understand the class better if you paid attention.
No es necesario que comprendas cada concepto a detalle.
It is not necessary to understand each concept in detail.
Take Note: Just like in English, in Spanish, we can use comprender to express understanding about someone’s feelings or actions. In this case, you need to use the preposition a to introduce the person that you’re referring to or, if the information is already clear, you’ll use direct object pronouns.
Comprende a tu sobrino, está pasando por una etapa difícil.
Understand your nephew, he is going through a difficult time.
No te comprendo porque no hay justificación para lo que hiciste.
I do not understand you because there is no justification for what you did.
Compréndela, ese día estaba muy cansada.
Understand her, she was very tired that day.
The reciprocal verb comprenderse is used to describe that more than two people get along well or understand each other. Beware that in this case, ‘comprenderse’ works as a reciprocal verb.
Mi hermana y su novio se comprenden muy bien
My sister and her boyfriend understand each other pretty well
Talking about the elements that something includes
When something contains or includes one or more elements, ‘comprender’ in Spanish can also be translated as ‘to comprise’ or ‘to include’.
[Comprender conjugated] + [noun]
Señorita, ¿qué comprendía el paquete empresarial?
Miss, what did the business package comprise?
Los cursos comprenden la información necesaria sobre las aves de la región
The course includes the necessary information about the birds of the region.
Esta guía comprende ejemplos sobre cómo usar verbos regulares e irregulares
This guide includes examples of how to use regular and irregular verbs.
La zona del Soconusco comprende 15 municipios
The Soconusco region comprises 15 municipalities
Comprender Expressions & Idioms
¿Comprendes, Méndez?: This is a slang and cutesy expression that Spanish speakers use as a way to ask a person if something is clear or was understood. This expression is close in meaning to ‘are you following me? or ‘did you understand?’.
Synonyms of ‘Comprender’ in Spanish
Entender: This verb also means ‘to perceive’ or ‘to understand’ and have a clear idea of what is said, done or happening or to discover the meaning of something.
Captar: When talking about understanding, this verb in Spanish also means ‘to capture’ the main idea or concept of something. It is translated as ‘to understand’ or ‘to get’.
Incluir: Another use of ‘comprender’ in Spanish is to have something as part or member; to consist of. In this case, we can use this verb which is translated as ‘to include’.
Contener: When we want to say that something ‘consists of’, this verb can be used instead of ‘comprender’. Its literal translation is ‘to contain’.