comprese

Comprese is the third-person singular form of the Italian verb comprendere in the passato remoto, the simple past tense used mainly in written and narrative Italian. It translates to “he understood” or, depending on context, “she understood.” The passato remoto form is typical of literary or historical prose and is less common in everyday speech, where the passato prossimo is typically preferred.

In context, comprese is used to recount a past understanding or realization. For example: “Egli comprese la portata del problema.” In modern conversation, one would more commonly say “ha compreso la portata del problema,” using the passato prossimo.

Etymology and related forms: Comprendere derives from the Latin comprehendere, combining the prefix com- with prehendere “to seize” or “to grasp,” reflecting the original sense of grasping an idea. The past participle of comprender is compreso, used with avere to form the passato prossimo (e.g., ha compreso). The passato remoto form comprese shares the same root but appears in a different tense system used mostly in formal or literary Italian.

See also: Comprendere; Passato remoto; Italian verbs.