ymmärsimme

ymmärsimme is a Finnish verb form that represents the meaning “we understood” in English. It is the past tense, first-person plural (we), of the verb ymmärtää, which means “to understand.” Finnish uses verb inflection to express tense and person, so ymmärsimme is a single word that conveys both who spoke and when the understanding occurred.

Formation and use. The form is created from the verb stem ymmärtä- with the past tense suffix -imme, yielding ymmärsimme. The spelling features a double m, which is a normal outcome of Finnish phonology in certain past-tense forms. Ymmärsimme typically appears in narrative or reported speech when describing a past realization or conclusion. It can be used in statements like “Me ymmärsimme, että tilanne oli vakava,” meaning “We understood that the situation was serious.”

Relation to other forms. ymmärsimme is part of a broader verb paradigm for ymmärtää. The present tense first-person plural is ymmärrämme (“we understand”). Related past forms include ymmärsin (I understood), ymmärsit (you understood), ymmäri m kö? (3rd person singular) ymmärsi, and the 3rd person plural ymmärsivät. These forms share the same verb stem and pattern, but differ in person and tense.

Remarks. Because ymmärtää is a common verb, ymmärsimme appears frequently in written and spoken Finnish, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and typical everyday conversation when describing past comprehension. The nuance between simple past and ongoing understanding is generally clear from context and accompanying time expressions.