Értették

Értették is a Hungarian verb form meaning “they understood.” It is the past tense, third-person plural, of the verb érteni, which means to understand. This form is used when the subject of the sentence is a group and the action of understanding has already occurred.

In Hungarian, érteni is conjugated across persons and tenses. The past tense forms for the plural are értettem (I understood), értetted (you understood), értette (he/she understood), értettük (we understood), értettétek (you all understood), and értették (they understood). The specific form értették is therefore used to report that a group understood something.

Usage and nuances: értették is commonly used in narrative or reported speech to describe that multiple people grasped a concept, instruction, or statement. It can take a direct object that specifies what was understood, for example: A diákok értették a feladat lényegét. (The students understood the essence of the task.) It can also appear with subordinate clauses introduced by hogy: A tanúk megértették, hogy mi történt, és értették. In many contexts, megérteni (to understand fully) or érteni with a diminutive object can convey similar meanings; értették emphasizes the past completed understanding by the group.

See also: érteni, megérteni, értés, értelmezés.