entendía
en-ten-DEE-ah
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Yo no entendía nada de lo que decía el profesor.
A2I didn't understand anything the teacher was saying.
Cuando era niño, entendía el francés pero no lo hablaba.
B1When I was a child, I understood French but I didn't speak it.
Ella entendía que la situación era difícil.
A2She understood that the situation was difficult.
💡 Grammar Points
When to use 'entendía'
Use this form when you're describing a past mental state that lasted for a while, like 'I understood the rules' (throughout the whole game).
Double Identity
This exact word works for both 'I' (yo) and 'he/she/you formal' (él/ella/usted). Context tells you who is doing the understanding!
❌ Common Pitfalls
Entendí vs. Entendía
Mistake: "Using 'entendí' to describe a general state of knowledge in the past."
Correction: Use 'entendía' for ongoing understanding; 'entendí' is for the specific moment you 'got it' or had a lightbulb moment.
⭐ Usage Tips
Setting the scene
Think of 'entendía' as background music. It describes what was going on in someone's head while other specific actions happened.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: entendía
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence means 'I used to understand the teacher'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'entendía' have an accent mark on the 'i'?
The accent on the 'i' is necessary to make sure we pronounce the 'i' and 'a' as two separate syllables (en-ten-DÍ-a) instead of blending them together.
How do I know if 'entendía' means 'I understood' or 'He understood'?
Since the form is the same for both, you usually look for the pronoun (yo, él, ella) or use the context of the conversation to know who is being talked about.