entender Preterite Conjugation
entender — to understand
The preterite of entender is regular: entendí, entendiste, entendió, entendimos, entendisteis, entendieron.
entender Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you want to say you finally 'got it' or understood something at a specific moment in the past, like a sudden realization.
Notes on entender in the Preterite
Entender is completely regular in the preterite. It does not have the stem change (e-ie) that you see in the present tense.
Example Sentences
Por fin entendí la lección de matemáticas.
I finally understood the math lesson.
yo
¿Entendiste lo que dijo el profesor?
Did you understand what the teacher said?
tú
Ellos no entendieron las instrucciones del examen.
They didn't understand the exam instructions.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'entiendí' instead of 'entendí'.
Correct: entendí
Why: Learners often try to carry the present tense stem change (e-ie) into the preterite, but this verb is regular here.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: entiendo
Entender is a stem-changing verb (e-ie) in the present: entiendo, entiendes, entiende, entendemos, entendéis, entienden.
Imperfect
yo: entendía
The imperfect of entender is regular: entendía, entendías, entendía, entendíamos, entendíais, entendían.
Future
yo: entenderé
The future tense of entender is regular: entenderé, entenderás, entenderá, entenderemos, entenderéis, entenderán.
Conditional
yo: entendería
The conditional of entender is regular: entendería, entenderías, entendería, entenderíamos, entenderíais, entenderían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: entienda
The present subjunctive of entender follows the stem change: entienda, entiendas, entienda, entendamos, entendáis, entiendan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: entendiera
The imperfect subjunctive of entender is regular: entendiera, entendieras, entendiera, entendiéramos, entendierais, entendieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: entiende
The affirmative imperative uses the stem change: entiende (tú), entienda (usted), entended (vosotros), entiendan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no entiendas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no entiendas, no entienda, no entendamos, no entendáis, no entiendan.