The English verb "understand" means "to comprehend, to grasp" in English. It is an irregular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "understand" across all 5 tenses. New to English verbs? Start with the English verb guide.
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How to Conjugate "understand" in the Present Tense
Simple Present Actions happening now or regularly| Person | English | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| I | I | understand |
| you | you (singular) | understand |
| he/she/it | he/she/it | understands |
| we | we | understand |
| you | you (plural) | understand |
| they | they | understand |
He understands why we are late.
Él entiende por qué llegamos tarde.
How to Conjugate "understand" in the Past Tense
Simple Past Actions that happened in the past| Person | English | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| I | I | understood |
| you | you (singular) | understood |
| he/she/it | he/she/it | understood |
| we | we | understood |
| you | you (plural) | understood |
| they | they | understood |
He understood the difficult task.
Él entendió la tarea difícil.
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Try VerbPal FreeHow to Conjugate "understand" in the Future Tense
Simple Future Actions that will happen| Person | English | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| I | I | will understand |
| you | you (singular) | will understand |
| he/she/it | he/she/it | will understand |
| we | we | will understand |
| you | you (plural) | will understand |
| they | they | will understand |
She will understand my point now.
Ella entenderá mi punto ahora.
How to Conjugate "understand" in the Present (-ing) Tense
Present Continuous Actions happening right now| Person | English | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| I | I | am understanding |
| you | you (singular) | are understanding |
| he/she/it | he/she/it | is understanding |
| we | we | are understanding |
| you | you (plural) | are understanding |
| they | they | are understanding |
He is understanding why it happened.
Él está entendiendo por qué sucedió.
How to Conjugate "understand" in the Have done Tense
Present Perfect Actions completed with present relevance| Person | English | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| I | I | have understood |
| you | you (singular) | have understood |
| he/she/it | he/she/it | has understood |
| we | we | have understood |
| you | you (plural) | have understood |
| they | they | have understood |
He has understood the instructions clearly.
Él ha entendido las instrucciones claramente.
Frequently Asked Questions About "understand"
Is "understand" regular or irregular in English?
"Understand" is an irregular English verb, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns and must be memorized individually.
What does "understand" mean in English?
The English verb "understand" means "to comprehend, to grasp" in English.
How do you conjugate "understand" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Simple Present): I → understand, you → understand, he/she/it → understands, we → understand, you → understand, they → understand.
How many tenses does "understand" have in English?
"Understand" is conjugated across 5 tenses in English: Present, Past, Future, Present (-ing), Have done.
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