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A brightly colored, simple storybook illustration of a puzzle where the final piece has just been set into place, completing the entire picture.

entendí

en-ten-DEE

verbA1irregular (stem-changing in present, but regular in preterite) er
I understood?completed action in the past
Also:I got it?informal/conversational

Quick Reference

infinitiveentender
gerundentendiendo
past Participleentendido

📝 In Action

Cuando me explicaste el problema, lo entendí al instante.

A2

When you explained the problem to me, I understood it instantly.

No te oí bien, pero entendí la idea principal.

A1

I didn't hear you well, but I understood the main idea.

¿Hablaste muy rápido? No entendí nada.

A1

Did you speak very quickly? I didn't understand anything.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • comprendí (I understood (formal))
  • capté (I grasped/caught on)

Antonyms

  • olvidé (I forgot)
  • confundí (I confused)

Common Collocations

  • entendí todo – I understood everything
  • entendí mal – I misunderstood
  • entendí perfectamente – I understood perfectly

💡 Grammar Points

Past Action Completed

This form ('entendí') is used for an action that happened and finished completely at a specific point in the past, like 'I understood the lesson' or 'I got the joke'.

Root Verb Difference

The base verb 'entender' changes its vowel (e to ie) in the present tense ('entiendo'), but in the simple past ('entendí'), it uses the regular 'ent-' stem, which is easier to remember!

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing Past Tenses

Mistake: "Usando 'entendía' para una acción puntual: 'Ayer entendía la regla.'"

Correction: Use 'entendí' for a single completed moment: 'Ayer entendí la regla.' ('I understood the rule yesterday.') 'Entendía' means 'I used to understand' or 'I was understanding'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Quick Confirmation

A very common way to confirm you've grasped something is simply to say 'Entendí' (I understood) or 'Ya entendí' (I get it now).

🔄 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/entendiese
yoentendiera/entendiese
túentendieras/entendieses
ellos/ellas/ustedesentendieran/entendiesen
nosotrosentendiéramos/entendiésemos
vosotrosentendierais/entendieseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: entendí

Question 1 of 2

Which Spanish pronoun is used with the verb form 'entendí'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

entender(to understand) - verb
el entendimiento(understanding/comprehension) - noun
la entendedera(ability to understand (informal)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'entendí' and 'entendía'?

'Entendí' is the completed past action ('I understood' once, at a specific moment). 'Entendía' is the habitual or descriptive past ('I used to understand' or 'I was understanding' over a period of time).

Is 'entendí' a regular or irregular verb?

The base verb 'entender' is considered irregular because it changes its vowel (e to ie) in the present tense. However, in the 'entendí' form (the simple past), it follows the regular pattern for -er verbs, which makes this specific conjugation easy to learn.