entiende

Entiende is a conjugated form of the Spanish verb entender, meaning to understand. In the present indicative, entiende corresponds to the third-person singular form (él/ella/usted entiende) and is commonly used to state that someone understands something. It is also the affirmative informal imperative for the tú form, as in ¡entiende! meaning “understand!” This form appears frequently in everyday speech across Spanish-speaking regions.

Etymology and meaning: entender comes from Latin intendere, meaning “to stretch toward” or “to aim at,” with a semantic shift over time toward the idea of grasping or comprehending. The development of entender parallels related Romance verbs that move from “to aim toward” to “to understand.”

Usage and nuances: entender often conveys practical or immediate comprehension, such as following instructions or grasping a point in a discussion. Comprender is more commonly associated with deeper or more complete understanding, though the two verbs are frequently interchangeable in everyday speech. For example, “Entiendo lo que dices” and “Comprendo lo que dices” are both natural, with a slight tilt toward practical understanding in the former.

Grammar notes: The verb entender is a stem-changing verb in the present tense, with e changing to ie: yo entiendo, tú entiendes, él entiende, nosotros entendemos, vosotros entendéis, ellos entienden. The negative tú command is no entiendas. Other tenses and moods follow standard conjugation patterns for -er verbs with the appropriate stem changes.

Related forms: entendimiento (understanding, comprehension), entendible (understandable), inentendible (unintelligible or hard to understand). The noun form entendimiento is also used for mutual or general comprehension in social contexts.

See also: comprender, entenderse, lingüística española.