verstanden

Verstanden is the past participle of the German verb verstehen, meaning to understand. In ordinary prose it forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary haben, as in ich habe verstanden (I have understood). Because verstehen uses an inseparable prefix ver-, the participle does not take the ge- prefix, so the form is verstanden, not vergetstanden. It also appears in other tenses built with haben, for example ich hatte verstanden.

As an adjective or in predicative position, verstanden can describe something that has been understood or acknowledged. Examples include Die Anweisungen sind verstanden and Die Regeln sind verstanden. In indirect clauses one might say, ich habe verstanden, was du gesagt hast.

Verstanden can also stand alone as an interjection meaning “Understood!” and is common in orders or instructional contexts: Verstanden! or Verstanden, Chef. This usage is frequent in both formal and informal registers, and it can be used to confirm that instructions have been received.

Etymology and form: the verb verstehen is of Germanic origin, with the inseparable prefix ver- that characterizes its meaning. The past participle kein ge- appears due to the inseparable nature of the prefix. The word is a core part of German syntax for expressing understanding, both in spoken communication and in written language.

See also: verstehen, verstehen in phrases, German verb conjugation.