understand

un·der·stand  (ndr-stnd)

v. un·der·stood (-std), un·der·stand·ing, un·der·stands

v.tr.

1. To perceive and comprehend the nature and significance of; grasp. See Synonyms at apprehend.

2. To know thoroughly by close contact or long experience with: That teacher understands children.

3.

a. To grasp or comprehend the meaning intended or expressed by (another): They have trouble with English, but I can understand them.

b. To comprehend the language, sounds, form, or symbols of.

4. To know and be tolerant or sympathetic toward: I can understand your point of view even though I disagree with it.

5. To learn indirectly, as by hearsay: I understand his departure was unexpected.

6. To infer: Am I to understand you are staying the night?

7. To accept (something) as an agreed fact: It is understood that the fee will be 50 dollars.

8. To supply or add (words or a meaning, for example) mentally.

v.intr.

1.

a. To have understanding, knowledge, or comprehension.

b. To have sympathy or tolerance.

2. To learn something indirectly or secondhand; gather.

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[Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan : under-, under- + standan, to stand; see st- in Indo-European roots.]

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understand [ˌʌndəˈstænd]

vb -stands, -standing, -stood

1. (may take a clause as object) to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of I understand you I understand what you mean

2. (may take a clause as object) to realize or grasp (something) he understands your position

3. (tr; may take a clause as object) to assume, infer, or believe I understand you are thinking of marrying

4. (tr) to know how to translate or read can you understand Spanish?

5. (tr; may take a clause as object; often passive) to accept as a condition or proviso it is understood that children must be kept quiet

6. (tr) to be sympathetic to or compatible with we understand each other

[Old English understandan; related to Old Frisian understonda, Middle High German understān step under; see under, stand]

understandable  adj

understandably  adv

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appreciate, recognize, understand - The use of "appreciate" should involve valuing something or understanding it sympathetically; when there is no value or sympathy, use "recognize" or "understand"; appreciate first meant "set at a price; appraised."

See also related terms for recognize.

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	understand - know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means" apprehend, comprehend, get the picture, grok, savvy, grasp, compass, dig - get the meaning of something; "Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?" sense - comprehend; "I sensed the real meaning of his letter" follow - grasp the meaning; "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he lectures, I cannot follow" get, catch - grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; "did you catch that allusion?"; "We caught something of his theory in the lecture"; "don't catch your meaning"; "did you get it?"; "She didn't get the joke"; "I just don't get him" touch - comprehend; "He could not touch the meaning of the poem" translate, understand, interpret, read - make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?" read - to hear and understand; "I read you loud and clear!" construe, interpret, see - make sense of; assign a meaning to; "What message do you see in this letter?"; "How do you interpret his behavior?" make out - comprehend; "I cannot make out what this politician is saying" figure out, puzzle out, solve, lick, work out, work - find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem" fathom, penetrate, bottom - come to understand
	2.	understand - perceive (an idea or situation) mentally; "Now I see!"; "I just can't see your point"; "Does she realize how important this decision is?"; "I don't understand the idea" realize, see, realise perceive - become conscious of; "She finally perceived the futility of her protest" take account, appreciate - be fully aware of; realize fully; "Do you appreciate the full meaning of this letter?" envision, fancy, picture, visualize, image, visualise, figure, see, project - imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind; "I can't see him on horseback!"; "I can see what will happen"; "I can see a risk in this strategy" see - see and understand, have a good eye; "The artist must first learn to see"
	3.	understand - make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?" translate, interpret, read understand - know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means"
	4.	understand - believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?" infer believe - accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits"
	5.	understand - be understanding of; "You don't need to explain--I understand!" empathise, empathize, sympathize, sympathise

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understand

verb

1. comprehend, get, take in, perceive, grasp, know, see, follow, realize, recognize, appreciate, be aware of, penetrate, make out, discern, twig (Brit. informal), fathom, savvy (slang), apprehend, conceive of, suss (Brit. informal), get to the bottom of, get the hang of (informal), tumble to (informal), catch on to (informal), cotton on to (informal), make head or tail of (informal), get your head round I think you understand my meaning.

2. sympathize with, appreciate, be aware of, be able to see, take on board (informal), empathize with, commiserate with, show compassion for Trish had not exactly understood his feelings.

3. believe, hear, learn, gather, think, see, suppose, notice, assume, take it, conclude, fancy, presume, be informed, infer, surmise, hear tell, draw the inference I understand you've heard about David.

Quotations
"In the long course of history, having people who understand your thought is much greater security than another submarine" [J. William Fulbright speaking of the Fulbright scholarship programme]

Translations

understand [ˌʌndəˈstænd] (understood (pt, pp))

A. VT

1. (= comprehend) (gen) → entender; (more formal, esp complex issues) → comprender
I can't understand it! → ¡no lo entiendo!
I can't understand your writing → no entiendo tu letra
that's what I can't understand → eso es lo que no logro entender or comprender
that is easily understood → eso se entiende fácilmente
I don't want to hear another word about it, (is that) understood? → no quiero que se hable más del tema, ¿entendido or comprendido?
the process is still not fully understood → el proceso todavía no se comprende or entiende del todo
doctors are still trying to understand the disease → los médicos siguen intentando comprender la enfermedad
it must be understood that → debe entenderse que ...
you must understand that we're very busy → debes entender or comprender que estamos muy ocupados
to understand how/why → entender or comprender cómo/por qué

2. (= follow, interpret) → entender
did I understand you correctly? → ¿te entendí bien?
to make o.s. understood → hacerse entender
he was trying to make himself understood → estaba intentando hacerse entender
do I make myself understood? → ¿queda claro?

3. (= empathize with) [+ person, point of view, attitude] → comprender, entender
his wife doesn't understand him → su mujer no le comprende or entiende
she understands children → comprende or entiende a los niños
we understand one another → nos comprendemos or entendemos
I (fully) understand your position → comprendo or entiendo(totalmente)su posición
I quite understand that you don't want to come → me hago cargo de que no quieres venir

4. (= know) [+ language] → entender
he can't understand a word of Spanish → no entiende ni una palabra de español

5. (= believe) → tener entendido
I understand you have been absent → tengo entendido que usted ha estado ausente
as I understand it, he's trying to set up a meeting → según tengo entendido or según creo está intentando convocar una reunión
it's understood that he had a heart attack → se piensa or cree que sufrió un infarto
am I to understand that ...? → ¿debo entender que ...?
we confirm our reservation and we understand (that) the rental will be 500 euros → confirmamos nuestra reserva y entendemos que el alquiler será de 500 euros
to give sb to understand that → dar a algn a entender que
we were given to understand that → se nos dio a entender que ...
it was understood that he would pay for it → se dio por sentado que él lo pagaría
he let it be understood that → dio a entender que ...

B. VI

1. (= comprehend) → entender; (more emphatic) → comprender
do you understand? → ¿entiendes or comprendes?
now I understand! → ¡ahora entiendo!, ¡ahora comprendo!
there's to be no noise, (do you) understand? → que no haya ruido, ¿entiendes or comprendes?

2. (= believe) she was, I understand, a Catholic → según tengo entendido era católica

3. (= accept sb's position) → entender; (esp in more complex situation) → comprender
he'll understand → lo entenderá or comprenderá
don't worry, I quite understand → no te preocupes, lo entiendo or comprendo perfectamente

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understand [ˌʌndə^rˈstænd] [understood] (pt, pp)

vt

(= perceive meaning of) [+ person, words, language] → comprendre
I don't understand this word → Je ne comprends pas ce mot.
Do you understand German? → Vous comprenez l'allemand?
Is that understood? → C'est compris?
to make o.s. understood → se faire comprendre

[+ events, situation, process] → comprendre
They are too young to understand what is going on → Ils sont trop jeunes pour comprendre ce qui se passe.

[+ person, feelings] → comprendre
His wife doesn't understand him → Sa femme ne le comprend pas.
My husband and I understand each other very well → Nous nous comprenons très bien mon mari et moi

(= believe) → croire comprendre
I understand that she has several aunts → Je crois comprendre qu'elle a plusieurs tantes.
it is understood that ... → il est entendu que ...
he is understood to be in Italy → il serait apparemment en Italie
to give sb to understand that → laisser entendre à qn que
I was given to understand that ... → on m'a laissé entendre que ...

to be understood (= be agreed tacitly) → être entendu
I thought it was understood you wouldn't come after midnight → Je croyais qu'il était entendu que vous ne viendriez pas après minuit.
No names were mentioned, everything was understood
BUT Aucun nom n'a été mentionné, tout s'est dit à mots couverts.

vi → comprendre
Do you understand? → Vous comprenez?

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understand pret, ptp <understood>

vt

language, painting, statement, speaker → verstehen; action, event, person, difficulty also → begreifen; I don’t understand Russian → ich verstehe or kann kein Russisch; that’s what I can’t understand → das kann ich eben nicht verstehen or begreifen; I can’t understand his agreeing to do it → ich kann nicht verstehen or es ist mir unbegreiflich, warum er sich dazu bereit erklärt hat; but understand this! → aber eins sollte klar sein; what do you understand by “pragmatism”? → was verstehen Sie unter „Pragmatismus“?

(= comprehend sympathetically) children, people, animals, doubts, fears → verstehen; to understand one another → sich verstehen

(= believe) I understand that you are going to Australia → ich höre, Sie gehen nach Australien; I understand that you’ve already met her → Sie haben sich, soviel ich weiß, schon kennengelernt; I understood (that) he was abroad/we were to have been consulted → ich dachte, er sei im Ausland/wir sollten dazu befragt werden; am I/are we to understand that …? → soll das etwa heißen, dass …?; as I understand it, … → soweit ich weiß, …; did I understand him to say that …? → habe ich richtig verstanden, dass er sagte, …?; but I understood her to say that she agreed → aber soweit ich sie verstanden habe, hat sie zugestimmt; to give somebody to understand that … → jdm zu verstehen geben, dass …; I was given to understand that … → man hat mir bedeutet, dass …; I understood from his speech that … → ich schloss aus seiner Rede, dass …; what do you understand from his remarks? → wie verstehen Sie seine Bemerkungen?

(Gram: = supply) word → sich (dat) → denken, (im Stillen) ergänzen ? also understood

vi

(= comprehend) → verstehen; (do you) understand? → (hast du/haben Sie das) verstanden?; you don’t understand! → du verstehst mich nicht!; but you don’t understand, I must have the money now → aber verstehen Sie doch, ich brauche das Geld jetzt!; I quite understand → ich verstehe schon

(= believe) so I understand → es scheint so; he was, I understand, a widower → wie ich hörte, war er Witwer

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understand [ˌʌndəˈstænd] (understood (pt, pp))

1. vt

a. (gen) → capire
to make o.s. understood → farsi capire
I can't understand a word of it → non ci capisco un'acca
I don't understand why ... → non capisco perché...
she understands children → capisce i bambini
we understand one another → ci capiamo (tra di noi)
he doesn't understand how I feel → non mi capisce quello che provo
I can understand his wanting to go → posso ben capire il suo desiderio di andarsene
is that understood? → è chiaro?
I wish it to be understood that ... → vorrei che fosse chiaro che...
understood! (agreed) → intesi!

b. (believe) → credere
we understood we were to be paid → a quanto avevamo capito dovevamo essere pagati
I understand you have been absent → mi risulta che lei è stato assente
it's understood that ... → resta inteso che...
he let it be understood that he was leaving → ha dato a intendere che stava per partire
she is understood to be ill → pare che stia poco bene

2. vi → capire
I quite understand → capisco benissimo, s'immagini
she was, I understand, a Catholic → era, se non sbaglio, cattolica

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understand

v understand [andəˈstӕnd]

1 to see or know the meaning of (something) I can't understand his absence; Speak slowly to foreigners so that they'll understand you. verstaan يَفْهَم разбирам (po)rozumět forstå verstehen καταλαβαίνω, κατανοώ comprender, entender aru saama فهمیدن ymmärtää comprendre לְהָבִין समझना razumjeti (meg)ért skilja capire, comprendere 理解する 이해하다 suprasti saprast faham begrijpen, verstaan forstå, skjønne, oppfatte zrozumieć compreender a înţelege понимать pochopiť, (po)rozumieť razumeti razumeti förstå เข้าใจ anlamak 理解 розуміти سمجھنا hiểu được ý 懂

2 to know (eg a person) thoroughly She understands children/dogs. verstaan يَتَفَهَّم познавам mít pochopení forstå sich verstehen auf καταλαβαίνω σε βάθος (π.χ. ένα πρόσωπο) comprender, entender mõistma کاملاً آشنایی داشتن ymmärtää comprendre לְהָבִין जानकारी रखना poznavati megért; alaposan ismer skilja capire よく知っている 정통하다 nusimanyti apie, suprasti pazīt; izprast; saprasties memahami begrijpen forstå, kjenne, skjønne znać się (na) compreender a cunoaşte уметь обращаться rozumieť poznati razumeti förstå sig på รู้เรื่อง anlamak 瞭解(一個人等) розуміти جاننا hiểu, nhận thức được 理解

3 to learn or realize (something), eg from information received At first I didn't understand how ill she was; I understood that you were planning to leave today. begryp يُدْرِك подразбирам dovědět se, vyrozumět forstå annehmen καταλαβαίνω, αντιλαμβάνομαι comprender, entender; tener entendido taipama متوجه شدن ymmärtää comprendre לְהָבִין महसूस करना shvatiti értesül gera sér grein fyrir, skiljast capire ～と聞いている (정보 따위를) 알고 있다 suprasti domāt; pieņemt; noprast mengetahui begrijpen forstå, gå ut fra, oppfatte, innse zorientować się perceber a sesiza осознавать; понимать pochopiť uvideti shvatiti förstå จำได้ anlamak 獲悉 здогадуватися; дізнаватися محسوس کرنا hiểu, nhận ra 获悉

adj underˈstandable

that can be understood His anger is quite understandable. verstaanbaar مُمْكِن فَهْمُه разбираем pochopitelný forståelig verständlich κατανοητός, ευνόητος comprensible mõistetav قابل درک ymmärrettävä compréhensible שֶׁנִיתַן לְהָבִינוֹ जिसे समझा जा सके shvatljiv, razumljiv érthető skiljanlegur comprensibile 理解できる 이해할 수 있는 suprantamas saprotams boleh difahami begrijpelijk forståelig zrozumiały compreensível comprehensibil, de neînţeles понятный pochopiteľný razumljiv razumljiv förståelig ที่สามารถเข้าใจได้ anlaşılır 可以理解的 зрозумілий سمجھنے کے قابل có thể hiểu được 可以理解的

adj underˈstanding

(of a person) good at knowing how other people feel; sympathetic an understanding person; Try to be more understanding! begrypend, begrip hê مُتَفَهِّم разбиращ chápající forstående verständnisvoll που δείχνει κατανόηση (για πρόσωπο) comprensivo mõistev فهیم ymmärtävä compréhensif מֵבִין समझ imati više razumijevanja megértő skilningsríkur comprensivo 理解のある 이해력 있는 atjauèiantis, supratingas saprotošs; iejūtīgs bertimbang rasa begripvol forståelsesfull wyrozumiały compreensivo înţelegător отзывчивый chápajúci razumevajoč uviđavan förstående ซึ่งเข้าอกเข้าใจ anlayışlı, hoşgörülü 通情達理的，有同理心的 чуйний سمجھ دار، لحاظ دار thông cảm 有同情心的

n

1 the power of thinking clearly a man of great understanding. verstand فَهْم، إدْراك разум inteligence forstand der Verstand αντίληψη inteligencia, entendimiento mõistus عقل؛ درایت ymmärrys intelligence הבנה समझ shvaćanje értelmi képesség skilningur intelligenza 理解力 지력 supratimas, išmanymas saprāts; izpratne pemahaman verstand forståelse, forstand, dømmekraft rozum intelecto inteligenţă понимание inteligencia razum znanje förstånd, klokhet ความสามารถในการวินิจฉัย kavrama, anlama, anlayış 理解力 розум; кмітливість فہم trí tuệ 领会

2 the ability to sympathize with another person's feelings His kindness and understanding were a great comfort to her. begrip تَفَهُّم съчувствен porozumění forståelse das Verständnis κατανόηση comprensión mõistvus درک ymmärtämys compréhension הֲבָנָה हमदर्दी suosjećanje megértés skilningur comprensione 理解 이해심 atjauta, supratingumas izpratne; iejūtība timbang rasa begrip forståelse, innsikt zrozumienie compreensão înţelegere отзывчивость porozumenie razumevanje razumevanje förstående inställning ความสามารถในการเข้าใจ anlayış, hâlden anlama 同理心 розуміння; чуйність مفاہمت sự hiểu biết 谅解

3 a (state of) informal agreement The two men have come to / reached an understanding after their disagreement. verstandhouding تَفاهُم разбиране shoda forståelse die Einigung συνεννόηση, συμφωνία entendimiento kokkulepe توافق sopimus entente הֲבָנָה सहमति dogovor megállapodás samkomulag accordo 了解 비공식적 약속 supratimas, susitarimas saprašanās; vienošanās persefahaman verstandhouding forståelse porozumienie acordo acord договорённость zhoda sporazum sporazum överenskommelse, samförstånd ข้อตกลงร่วมกัน anlaşma (非正式的)協議 згода, взаєморозуміння سمجھوتہ، مفاہمت sự hiểu nhau 协议

make (oneself) understood

to make one's meaning or intentions clear He tried speaking German to them, but couldn't make himself understood. verstaanbaar يَجْعَلُ نَفْسَه مَفْهوما разбран dorozumět se gøre sig forståelig sich verständlich machen γίνομαι κατανοητός, αντιληπτός hacerse entender ennast arusaadavaks tegema منظور خود را رساندن tehdä itsensä ymmärretyksi se faire comprendre לְהַבהִיר अपनी मंशा साफ करना jasno se izraziti megérteti magát gera (sig) skiljanlegan farsi capire 意志を通じさせる 자기의 말(생각)을 남에게 이해시키다 pasakyti suprantamai, susikalbėti skaidri izteikties; panākt saprašanu membuat orang lain memahaminya zich verstaanbaar maken gjøre seg forstått; gi klar beskjed wyrażać się zrozumiale, porozumieć się fazer(-se) entender a se face înţeles уметь объясняться dorozumieť sa sporazumeti se jasno se izraziti göra sig förstådd ทำให้เข้าใจ söylemek istediğini belirtmek, meramını anlatmak 使別人理解自己的意思 порозумітися سمجھانا làm cho ai hiểu mình 使别人理解自己的意思

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understand → يَفْهَم porozumět forstå verstehen καταλαβαίνω comprender ymmärtää comprendre razumijeti comprendere 理解する 이해하다 begrijpen forstå zrozumieć entender понимать förstå เข้าใจ anlamak hiểu 理解