entenderlo
“entenderlo” means “to understand it” in Spanish (referring to a concept or situation).
to understand it, to grasp it
Also: to figure him out
📝 In Action
Es difícil, pero voy a intentar entenderlo.
A2It's difficult, but I am going to try to understand it.
Necesitas leer el manual para entenderlo todo.
B1You need to read the manual in order to understand it all.
¡No pude entenderlo! Hablaba muy rápido.
A2I couldn't understand him! He was speaking very fast.
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: entenderlo
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'entenderlo'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
The verb *entender* comes from the Latin word *intendere*, which literally meant 'to stretch out' or 'to direct one's attention toward.' This idea of directing mental attention evolved naturally into the meaning 'to grasp' or 'to comprehend.'
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'lo' attached to the end of the verb?
In Spanish, the base form of the verb (the infinitive) always requires any small object words like 'lo' (it) or 'me' (me) to be physically attached to the end. This is a common rule for infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands.
When does 'entender' change from 'e' to 'ie'?
The 'e' changes to 'ie' in the present tense (both indicative and subjunctive) for every person except 'nosotros' (we) and 'vosotros' (you plural, informal). This is called a stem change.