Conjugation of 'Entender'

Entender, which usually means "to understand," is a common stem-changing verb. The only change from the regular conjugation is that when the -e- of the stem is stressed it becomes -ie-.

Other verbs (and common definitions) following this pattern include ascender (to climb), atender (to attend to), defender (to defend or protect), descender (to go down), and perder (to lose).

Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life may vary with context.

Infinitive of Entender

entender (to understand)

Gerund of Entender

entendiendo (understanding)

Participle of Entender

entendido (understood)

Present Indicative of Entender

yo entiendo, tú entiendes, usted/él/ella entiende, nosotros/as entendemos, vosotros/as entendéis, ustedes/ellos/ellas entienden (I understand, you understand, he understands, etc.)

Preterite of Entender

yo entendí, tú entendiste, usted/él/ella entendió, nosotros/as entendimos, vosotros/as entendisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas entendieron (I understood, you understood, she understood, etc.)

Imperfect Indicative of Entender

yo entendía, tú entendías, usted/él/ella entendía, nosotros/as entendíamos, vosotros/as entendíais, ustedes/ellos/ellas entendía (I used to understand, you used to understand, he used to understand, etc.)

Future Indicative of Entender

yo entenderé, tú entenderás, usted/él/ella entenderá, nosotros/as entenderemos, vosotros/as entenderéis, ustedes/ellos/ellas entenderán (I will understand, you will understand, he will understand, etc.)

Conditional of Entender

yo entendería, tú entenderías, usted/él/ella entendería, nosotros/as entenderíamos, vosotros/as entenderíais, ustedes/ellos/ellas entenderían (I would understand, you would understand, she would understand, etc.)

Present Subjunctive of Entender

que yo entienda, que tú entiendas, que usted/él/ella entienda, que nosotros/as entendamos, que vosotros/as entendáis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas entiendan (that I understand, that you understand, that she understand, etc.)

Imperfect Subjunctive of Entender

que yo entendiera (entendiese), que tú entendieras (entendieses), que usted/él/ella entendiera (entendiese), que nosotros/as entendiéramos (entendiésemos), que vosotros/as entendierais (entendieseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas entendieran (entendiesen) (that I understood, that you understood, that he understood, etc.)

Imperative of Entender

entiende (tú), no entiendas (tú), entienda (usted), entendamos (nosotros/as), entended (vosotros/as), no entendáis (vosotros/as), entiendan (ustedes) (understand, don't understand, understand, let's understand, etc.)

Compound Tenses of Entender

The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, entendido. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, entendiendo.

Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Entender and Similar Verbs

Quiero entender lo que estás diciendo porque sé que es importante. (I want to know what you're saying because I know it's important. Infinitive.)

Un 19% del bosque nativo más diverso del país se ha perdido en los últimos 40 años. (Some 19 percent of the most diverse old-growth forest in the country has been lost in the past 40 years. Present perfect.)

Defiendo los derechos de los animales. (I defend the rights of animals. Present indicative.)

El terreno sobre el cual estaban desciendo era muy érido. The terrain they were descending was very dry. Past progressive.)

El venezolano ascendió al puesto 48 de la lista de jonroneros. (The Venezuelan climbed to No. 48 on the list of home run hitters. Preterite.)

La producción continuaba creciendo mientras que los precios descendían rápidamente. (Production kept on rising while prices fell rapidly. Imperfect.)

Atenderé mi cuerpo y su salud física. (I will take care of my body and its physical health. Future.)

A lo mejor lo entendería si me lo explicaras. (Maybe I'd understand it if you explained it to me. Conditional.)

Espero que no pierdas las ganas de cambiar las cosas. (I hope you don't lose the passion for changing things. Present subjunctive.)

El evento también sirvió para educar a los atletas para que entendieran la situación. (The event also served to educate the athletes so they would understand the situation. Imperfect subjunctive.)

¡Te pierde! (Get lost! Imperative.)