entend

Entend is the third-person singular present indicative form of the French verb entendre, meaning to hear or to understand. In sentences, it corresponds to “he hears” or “he understands” depending on context. The full present-tense paradigm is: j’entends, tu entends, il entend, nous entendons, vous entendez, ils entendent.

Etymology and meaning: Entendre comes from Old French and ultimately from Latin intendere, meaning to stretch toward or direct. In French usage, entendre can refer to physical hearing (to hear sounds) or to grasping or understanding something (to understand a point or idea). This polyvalence allows phrases like “entendre la musique” (to hear the music) and “entendre parler de quelque chose” (to have heard about something).

Usage notes: Entend frequently appears in everyday speech and writing. For example, “Il entend la voix au loin” means he hears the voice from a distance, while “Il entend ce que vous dites” means he understands what you are saying. The verb also forms part of idioms such as “entendre raison” (to listen to reason), as in “Il a finalement entendu raison.” Other common expressions include “entendre dire que…” (to hear say that…) and “entendre parler de” (to hear about).

Context and localization: Entend is a French-language form and does not constitute an independent word in English. It is primarily encountered within French sentences as a verb form and is inseparable from its subject and tense. For learners, recognizing its dual sense—hearing vs. understanding—is key to using it correctly across contexts.