mõista

Mõista is a common Estonian verb meaning to understand or to grasp in the sense of comprehension, interpretation, or realization. It covers understanding a fact or concept, comprehending a language, and perceiving another person’s feelings or intentions. The verb can be used for intellectual understanding as well as for recognizing something as true or appropriate in a given situation.

Grammatical notes: mõista is transitive and takes a direct object or a clause after et (that). Present tense forms are ma mõistan, sa mõistad, ta mõistab, me mõistame, te mõistate, nad mõistavad. Past tense forms are ma mõistsin, sa mõistsid, ta mõistis, me mõistsime, te mõistsite, nad mõistsid. The past participle is mõistnud, used in perfect constructions such as olen mõistnud. Negation is formed with ei: Ma ei mõista seda. Interrogatives can be formed with a question form: Kas sa mõistad seda?

Usage and nuances: mõista can express cognitive understanding as in understanding a fact or argument, as well as language comprehension or empathetic understanding, e.g., Ma mõistan keelt (I understand the language) or Ma mõistan sind (I understand you). It can also mean to realize or to grasp a situation, as in Ma mõistan, miks see juhtus.

Related words include mõistus (mind, intellect), mõistmine (understanding), and arusaam (concept, understanding).