A stylized illustration depicting one person asking a question and the second person nodding in confirmation, indicating they understood the information.

entendiste

en-ten-DEES-teh

verbA1The base verb 'entender' is stem-changing (e>ie in the present tense), but it is regular in the Preterite tense. er

Did you understand??Used informally to check comprehension.

Also:You understood.?Used as a statement of fact (informal 'you').

Quick Reference

infinitiveentender

gerundentendiendo

past Participleentendido

📝 In Action

Te lo dije despacio, ¿entendiste?

I told you slowly, did you understand?

Cuando me explicaste el problema, entendiste que no era mi culpa.

When you explained the problem to me, you understood it wasn't my fault.

No, no entendiste la diferencia entre los dos sistemas.

No, you didn't understand the difference between the two systems.

Word Connections

Synonyms

comprendiste (did you comprehend?)
captaste (did you catch/get it?)

Antonyms

confundiste (you confused)

Common Collocations

¿Entendiste el mensaje? – Did you understand the message?
No entendiste nada. – You didn't understand anything.

💡 Grammar Points

The Informal Past 'You'

This form is used when speaking to a single person you know well (using 'tú'). It describes a completed action in the past—the moment understanding either happened or didn't happen.

Preterite Tense Ending

For '-er' and '-ir' verbs in the simple past (Preterite), the 'tú' form always ends in '-iste' (comiste, viviste, entendiste).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using the Present Tense by Mistake

Mistake: "¿Entiendes?"

Correction: Use 'entendiste' when asking about something that was explained moments ago. '¿Entiendes?' (Do you understand, generally?) is for checking current knowledge; '¿Entendiste?' (Did you get that one thing I just said?) is for checking past comprehension.

⭐ Usage Tips

Asking Formally

If you are speaking to someone formally (using 'usted'), you must change the ending to 'entendió'. '¿Entendió?' is more polite and professional than '¿Entendiste?'

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedentiende

yoentiendo

túentiendes

ellos/ellas/ustedesentienden

nosotrosentendemos

vosotrosentendéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedentendía

yoentendía

túentendías

ellos/ellas/ustedesentendían

nosotrosentendíamos

vosotrosentendíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedentendió

yoentendí

túentendiste

ellos/ellas/ustedesentendieron

nosotrosentendimos

vosotrosentendisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedentienda

yoentienda

túentiendas

ellos/ellas/ustedesentiendan

nosotrosentendamos

vosotrosentendáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedentendiera

yoentendiera

túentendieras

ellos/ellas/ustedesentendieran

nosotrosentendiéramos

vosotrosentendierais

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: entendiste

Question 1 of 2

If you are speaking to your boss, which verb form should you use instead of 'entendiste'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

entender(to understand) - verb

entendimiento(understanding/comprehension) - noun

entendido(understood (or an expert)) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'entendiste' used more as a question or a statement?

In daily conversation, 'entendiste' is most often used as a quick question: '¿Entendiste?' (Did you get it?). When used as a statement, it usually confirms a fact: 'Sí, entendiste bien' (Yes, you understood correctly).

Why does the base verb 'entender' change to 'entiendo' in the present tense, but 'entendiste' doesn't have that change?

Spanish verbs often have unpredictable changes only in certain tenses. 'Entender' is a 'boot verb' in the present (the vowel 'e' changes to 'ie'), but it is completely regular in the simple past (Preterite) tense, so no vowel change occurs.