The Imperfect Tense of comprender is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo comprendía las lecciones con facilidad. (I used to understand the lessons easily.)

Comprender is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Comprender (to understand) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of comprender is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To understand or comprehend: For example, Cuando era niño, no comprendía las matemáticas. (When I was a child, I didn’t understand math.)

To grasp or perceive: For example, Mi abuela no comprendía las nuevas tecnologías. (My grandmother didn’t grasp new technologies.)

To include or contain (figuratively): For example, El paquete comprendía varios regalos. (The package included several gifts.)

To realize or become aware of: For example, Comprendía que tenía que estudiar más. (I realized that I had to study more.)

To comprise or consist of: For example, El curso comprendía diez lecciones. (The course comprised ten lessons.)

To take in or encompass (figuratively): For example, El plan comprendía varias etapas. (The plan encompassed several stages.)

Examples

Examples of Comprender in the Imperfect Tense

Yo comprendía las instrucciones del profesor. (I understood the teacher’s instructions.)

Ella comprendía el chiste después de un rato. (She understood the joke after a while.)

Nosotros comprendíamos la importancia de ahorrar dinero. (We understood the importance of saving money.)

Ellos comprendían el concepto, pero no podían aplicarlo. (They understood the concept, but couldn’t apply it.)

Tú comprendías el mensaje, ¿verdad? (You understood the message, right?)

Ella comprendía la situación y trataba de ayudar. (She understood the situation and tried to help.)

Yo comprendía el chiste, pero no me causaba gracia. (I understood the joke, but it didn’t make me laugh.)

Ellas comprendían la importancia de estudiar, pero a veces se distraían. (They understood the importance of studying, but sometimes got distracted.)

Él comprendía el concepto de la relatividad, aunque era complicado. (He understood the concept of relativity, even though it was complicated.)

Nosotros comprendíamos el plan, pero teníamos dudas sobre los detalles. (We understood the plan, but had doubts about the details.)

Tú comprendías la broma interna, ¿no? (You understood the inside joke, didn’t you?)

Ellos comprendían el valor de la amistad verdadera. (They understood the value of true friendship.)

Yo comprendía la frustración de mi amigo con su trabajo. (I understood my friend’s frustration with his job.)

Ella comprendía las reglas del juego, pero a veces las olvidaba. (She understood the rules of the game, but sometimes forgot them.)

Nosotros comprendíamos la importancia de cuidar el medio ambiente. (We understood the importance of caring for the environment.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Comprender (to understand) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.