entendimos

Entendimos is the first-person plural (nosotros) form of the Spanish verb entender in the pretérito perfecto simple, commonly translated as "we understood" in English. It denotes a completed action in the past and is used when the speaker refers to a moment when understanding occurred.

Conjugation and usage: Entender is a regular -er verb in the preterite for the nosotros form, yielding entendimos. The full preterite conjugation for entender is: entendí, entendiste, entendió, entendimos, entendisteis, entendieron. In contrast, the present tense is entendemos, and the imperfect is entendíamos. Entendimos is therefore not stem-changing in this tense, but part of a standard past-tense paradigm.

Etymology: Entender derives from Latin intendere, meaning to stretch toward or to aim at, through a path that passed into Old Spanish as entender. Over time, the sense broadened to include “to understand.” The prefix en- plus the root tend- reflect the notion of directing the mind toward something to grasp it.

Usage notes: Entendimos is commonly used with a following subordinate clause introduced by que or with explanations of what was understood. It can express cognitive realization, comprehension of an explanation, or grasping a concept, situation, or instruction. It contrasts with the present entender (we understand) and the future entenderemos (we will understand).

See also: entender, comprender, Spanish verb conjugation, pretérito perfecto simple.