The preterite of entender is used to express the moment when understanding occurred in the past. For example, you might say “I understood the concept when the teacher explained it,” indicating the specific point when comprehension was achieved.

This is a regular -er verb, following the standard preterite conjugation pattern for -er verbs. The conjugation is straightforward and predictable, making it easier to learn and use.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Entender (to understand) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The Preterite of entender indicates the moment of comprehension or understanding.

To understand: Used for the moment when comprehension occurred, for example, Por fin entendí el problema (I finally understood the problem).

To grasp a concept: Indicates the point of realization, for example, Entendieron la explicación inmediatamente (They understood the explanation immediately).

Examples

Examples of Entender in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Por fin entendí el concepto difícil. (I finally understood the difficult concept.)

¿Entendiste las instrucciones del examen? (Did you understand the exam instructions?)

Ella no entendió el chiste. (She didn’t understand the joke.)

Después de la explicación, entendimos mejor el tema. (After the explanation, we understood the topic better.)

Los estudiantes entendieron rápidamente la lección. (The students quickly understood the lesson.)

Nunca entendí por qué te fuiste. (I never understood why you left.)

¿Entendiste el mensaje que te envié? (Did you understand the message I sent you?)

El público entendió perfectamente la obra. (The audience perfectly understood the play.)

No entendimos nada de la conferencia. (We didn’t understand anything from the conference.)

Ellos entendieron mal las reglas del juego. (They misunderstood the rules of the game.)

Al final entendí la importancia del estudio. (In the end, I understood the importance of studying.)

Entendiste la situación mejor que nadie. (You understood the situation better than anyone.)

El profesor entendió nuestras dificultades. (The teacher understood our difficulties.)

Entendimos la gravedad del problema demasiado tarde. (We understood the severity of the problem too late.)

Los expertos entendieron el fenómeno después de años de estudio. (The experts understood the phenomenon after years of study.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Entender (to understand) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.