verstehen is the German verb for to understand, expressing comprehension in various contexts. It is a stem-changing verb (e>ie) in the present tense for du and er/sie/es forms, and a separable verb in compound forms (not in its basic form).
- Infinitive: verstehen
- Meaning: to understand
- Stem change: e → ie (du/er/sie/es)
- Regular conjugation: with some stem changes
- Key usage: understanding ideas, language, situations
„verstehen“ is a stem-changing verb, so it is neither fully regular nor fully irregular.
The stem changes for du and er/sie/es: du verstehst, er versteht.
Conjugation
Present: (Stamm: versteh-, e → ie for du/er/sie/es)
ich verstehe | du verstehst | er/sie/es versteht | wir verstehen | ihr versteht | sie/Sie verstehen
Simple Past (Präteritum):
ich verstand | du verstandest | er/sie/es verstand | wir verstanden | ihr verstandet | sie/Sie verstanden
Past Participle: verstanden
Used with haben for perfect tense: Ich habe verstanden.
The stem change is e → ie for du and er/sie/es.
The past participle is „verstanden“.
Usage
Verstehen is used when expressing comprehension of language, concepts, instructions, or situations.
- Ich verstehe dich. (I understand you.)
- Verstehst du die Frage? (Do you understand the question?)
- Sie versteht viel von Technik. (She understands a lot about technology.)
Note: For "to misunderstand," use missverstehen.
The opposite is „missverstehen“ (to misunderstand).
Examples
| Tense | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Ich verstehe das Problem. | I understand the problem. |
| Present | Verstehst du mich? | Do you understand me? |
| Past | Wir verstanden die Aufgabe. | We understood the task. |
| Perfect | Er hat die Regeln verstanden. | He has understood the rules. |
verstehen is essential for expressing comprehension in German. Its stem change and usage across contexts make it a key verb for language learners.
- Understand the e→ie stem change in present tense (du/er/sie/es).
- Use verstehen for grasping ideas, language, or situations.
- Remember missverstehen for "to misunderstand."
The correct infinitive is 'verstehen'.
You use „verstehen“ when you comprehend or grasp something.
The past participle is 'verstanden'.