comprendió

Comprendió is the third-person singular form of the Spanish verb comprender in the preterite tense. It expresses a completed act of understanding in the past, such as grasping a concept, a situation, or the meaning of something that was explained. The form is commonly used to indicate that someone realized or perceived something at a specific past moment.

Etymology and forms: Comprender comes from the Latin comprehendĕre, literally “to seize together” (com- + prehendere). It is a regular -er verb in the preterite. The full preterite paradigm is: descubrí? (no), actual forms: comprendí, comprendiste, comprendió, comprendimos, comprendisteis, comprendieron. The accent on comprendió signals the stress pattern typical of preterite endings.

Usage notes: Comprender and entender are often interchangeable, but comprender can imply a deeper or more complete grasp, including implications, causes, or consequences. In questions, one might ask, “¿Qué comprendiste de la explicación?” In statements, examples include “Ayer comprendió el punto clave” or “Después de la práctica, comprendió cómo funciona el sistema.” In daily speech, comprender is common in formal or neutral contexts, while entender can appear in more casual usage.

Common nuances: comprender can express intellectual understanding, situational insight, or realization, whereas entender is more general for cognitive comprehension. As a past-tense form, comprendió denotes a completed understanding at a specific past time, not ongoing understanding.