nachvollziehen

Nachvollziehen is a German verb that denotes understanding something by following its reasoning or by reconstructing a sequence of events. It can also carry a nuance of empathizing with a viewpoint or situation, i.e., seeing why someone acted as they did.

Etymology and form. The word combines the prefix nach- (after, along) with vollziehen (to carry out, perform), yielding a sense of tracing steps to reach understanding. In use, it typically appears with können in the sense of “to be able to understand,” as in ich kann seinen Gedankengang nachvollziehen. The past participle is nachvollzogen, and the perfect form is often ich habe seinen Gedankengang nachvollzogen. The related noun Nachvollziehbarkeit refers to the quality of being understandable or traceable.

Usage and nuance. Nachvollziehen is common in everyday language as well as in formal contexts. It emphasizes cognitive grasping of someone’s reasoning or of a process, and it can express empathy when one says one can understand another’s motives. It is slightly more anchored in reasoning than merely verstehen, though the two are closely related. In legal, administrative, or scientific texts, Nachvollziehbarkeit is frequently used to denote that actions, decisions, or data can be followed and verified.

Related terms. Nachverfolgen means to track or trace events or data, while nachempfinden emphasizes emotional or experiential empathy. Nachvollziehbarkeit is the corresponding noun form for the concept of traceability and explainability in processes and arguments.

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