Entender Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Entender” is a Spanish verb that means “to understand”.

Similar to its counterpart “comprender,” “entender” is essential in Spanish, and you’ll find yourself using it almost daily.

As an irregular verb, knowing how to conjugate “entender” may initially pose some challenges for learners. 

However, in most tenses it is regular and easy to learn. 

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and the host of the Learn Spanish With James Podcast. In this guide,  I’ll show you how to conjugate “entender” across different tenses and moods. 

From the indicative to the subjunctive and imperative, you’ll find detailed conjugation charts and example sentences to help you learn the conjugated forms.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	entiendo
you	tú	entiendes
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	entiende
we	nosotros,nosotras	entendemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	entendéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	entienden

When We Use the Present Tense

The indicative present tense in Spanish is used to describe actions that are happening right now, habitual actions, general truths, or future actions.

It’s also used in certain expressions of time and with actions that are happening simultaneously. 

“Entender” is an irregular verb that requires changes in the stem in this tense, with slight variations depending on the subject pronoun (as in ”yo entiendo”).

Check out the “entender” conjugation chart above, and the example sentences below.

Examples of the Irregular Verb “Entender” in the Present Tense

• Yo entiendo la lección. (I understand the lesson.)
• Tú entiendes rápidamente. (You understand quickly.)
• Él/ella entiende el problema. (He/she understands the problem.)
• Nosotros entendemos la situación. (We understand the situation.)
• Vosotros entendéis las instrucciones. (You all understand the instructions.)
• Ellos/ellas/ustedes entienden la importancia. (They understand the importance.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	entendí
you	tú	entendiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	entendió
we	nosotros, nosotras	entendimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	entendisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	entendieron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense is used to express actions that were completed in the past, actions that occurred at a specific point in time, or a sequence of events. 

For example “I understood”, which is the preterite tense, differs from “I used to understand” which is an example of the imperfect tense. 

Be sure not to confuse the preterite tense with the imperfect tense, which I’ll explain shortly.

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Entender” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo entendí la explicación. (I understood the explanation.)
• Tú entendiste la pregunta. (You understood the question.)
• Él/ella entendió el mensaje. (He/she understood the message.)
• Nosotros entendimos el problema. (We understood the problem.)
• Vosotros entendisteis la situación. (You all understood the situation.)
• Ellos/ellas entendieron la lección. (They understood the lesson.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	entendía
you	tú	entendías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	entendía
we	nosotros, nosotras	entendíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	entendíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	entendían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, actions that were in progress, or actions that set the scene. 

It’s also used for descriptions and states of being. 

Top Tip: The imperfect tense means both “used to” and “was doing”. I have shown this in context in the “entender” imperfect tense examples below.

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Imperfect Tense

• Yo entendía sus razones. (I used to understand his/her reasons.)
• Tú entendías la importancia. (You used to understand the importance.)
• Él/ella entendía el contexto. (He/she was understanding the context.)
• Nosotros entendíamos la situación. (We were understanding the situation.)
• Vosotros entendíais el proceso. (You all used to understand the process.)
• Ellos/ellas entendían la dificultad. (They were understanding the difficulty.)

Тhe Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	entenderé
you	tú	entenderás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	entenderá
we	nosotros,nosotras	entenderemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	entenderéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	entenderán

When We Use the Future Tense

The future tense is used to express actions that will happen in the future, as well as intentions, predictions, or assumptions about the future. 

We form the Spanish future tense by adding specific endings to the infinitive form of the verb.

This makes it very easy to learn. Check out the “entender” conjugation chart above to see the endings.

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Future Tense

• Yo entenderé tu punto de vista. (I will understand your point of view.)
• Tú entenderás la situación pronto. (You will understand the situation soon.)
• Él/ella entenderá la importancia del tema. (He/she will understand the importance of the topic.)
• Nosotros entenderemos las instrucciones. (We will understand the instructions.)
• Vosotros entenderéis el significado. (You all will understand the meaning.)
• Ellos/ellas entenderán las consecuencias. (They will understand the consequences.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	entendería
you	tú	entenderías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	entendería
we	nosotros,nosotras	entenderíamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	entenderíais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	entenderían

When We Use the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is used to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, or actions that would happen under certain conditions. 

Just like the future tense, we add specific endings to the infinitive form of the verb when we want to conjugate “entender” in the conditional tense. 

Top Tip: The conditional tense is a great tense to use alongside the Spanish imperfect subjunctive. Do this, and you’ll score top marks in your Spanish speaking exams!

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Conditional Tense

• Yo entendería tu postura si me explicaras. (I would understand your position if you explained it to me.)
  Tú entenderías mejor si prestaras atención. (You would understand better if you paid attention.)
• Él/ella entendería si le dieras una oportunidad. (He/she would understand if you gave him/her a chance.)
  Note: “dieras” is an example of a “dar” conjugation in the imperfect subjunctive.
• Nosotros entenderíamos más si estudiáramos. (We would understand more if we studied.)
  Vosotros entenderíais si escucharais con cuidado. (You all would understand if you listened carefully.)
• Ellos/ellas entenderían si tuvieran más información. (They would understand if they had more information.)
  Note: “tuvieran” is an example of a “tener” conjugation in the imperfect subjunctive.

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	he	entendido
you	tú	has	entendido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	entendido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	entendido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	entendido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	entendido

When We Use the Perfect Tense

The perfect tense, also known as the “pretérito perfecto” tense in Spanish, allows us to express actions that were completed recently, actions that have a direct impact on the present, or actions that have occurred at an unspecified time in the past, similar to the present perfect tense in English.

We form this tense by using the auxiliary verb “haber” in the present tense and the past participle of the main verb – “entendido”.

Check out the “entender” conjugation above to see how this works, and then the example sentences below to see “entender” in the perfect tense used in practice. 

Top Tip: In Spanish, AR and ER verbs take -ido in the past participle form, while AR verbs take -ado. You’ll find more information on this in my Guide to Spanish verbs.

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Pretérito Perfecto Tense

• Yo he entendido tu explicación. (I have understood your explanation.)
• Tú has entendido el mensaje. (You have understood the message.)
• Él/ella ha entendido la lección. (He/she has understood the lesson.)
• Nosotros hemos entendido la importancia. (We have understood the importance.)
• Vosotros habéis entendido el concepto. (You all have understood the concept.)
• Ellos/ellas han entendido el problema. (They have understood the problem.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	había	entendido
you	tú	habías	entendido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	entendido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	entendido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	entendido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	entendido

When We Use the Pluperfect Tense

Next, we have the pluperfect tense. We use this tense to express actions that had already been completed before another past action or point in time.

For example, “I had understood the task before he finished explaining it to me”.

Again, this Spanish verb conjugation is formed with the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” and the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Pluperfect Tense

• Yo había entendido todo antes de que llegaras. (I had understood everything before you arrived.)
  Note: “llegaras” is an example of a “llegar” conjugation in the imperfect subjunctive.
• Tú habías entendido la lección antes de la prueba. (You had understood the lesson before the test.)
• Él/ella había entendido el problema antes de resolverlo. (He/she had understood the problem before solving it.)
• Nosotros habíamos entendido el contexto previamente. (We had understood the context previously.)
• Vosotros habíais entendido la importancia del proyecto. (You all had understood the importance of the project.)
• Ellos/ellas habían entendido la situación antes de intervenir. (They had understood the situation before intervening.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habré	entendido
you	tú	habrás	entendido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	entendido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	entendido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	entendido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	entendido

When We Use the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is used to express actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future. 

When we want to form the future perfect tense in Spanish, yet again we need to know the future perfect tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” and then use the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Future Perfect Tense

• Yo habré entendido todo para ese momento. (I will have understood everything by that time.)
• Tú habrás entendido la lección cuando llegue el profesor. (You will have understood the lesson when the teacher arrives.)
• Él/ella habrá entendido el problema antes de la reunión. (He/she will have understood the problem before the meeting.)
• Nosotros habremos entendido la situación para entonces. (We will have understood the situation by then.)
• Vosotros habréis entendido las instrucciones antes de comenzar. (You all will have understood the instructions before starting.)
• Ellos/ellas habrán entendido el mensaje al finalizar la presentación. (They will have understood the message by the end of the presentation.)

The Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habría	entendido
you	tú	habrías	entendido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	entendido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	entendido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	entendido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	entendido

When We Use the Conditional Perfect Tense

Next, we have the conditional perfect tense. In Spanish, we use this tense to express actions that would have been completed in the past under certain conditions. 

Again, we need “haber” and then the past participle of the main verb – in this case “entender” – to form this tense. 

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Conditional Perfect Tense

• Yo habría entendido si me lo hubieras explicado antes. (I would have understood if you had explained it to me earlier.)
• Tú habrías entendido mejor si te hubieras concentrado. (You would have understood better if you had focused.)
• Él/ella habría entendido si le hubieras dado más tiempo. (He/she would have understood if you had given him/her more time.)
• Nosotros habríamos entendido más si hubiéramos tenido más información. (We would have understood more if we had had more information.)
• Vosotros habríais entendido si os hubierais esforzado más. (You all would have understood if you had tried harder.)
• Ellos/ellas habrían entendido si hubieran estado presentes. (They would have understood if they had been present.)
  Note: “estado” is the past participle of the Spanish verb “estar”.

The Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	entienda
you	tú	entiendas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	entienda
we	nosotros,nosotras	entendamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	entendáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	entiendan

When We Use the Present Subjunctive

Ah, the present subjunctive. This is something all learners find tricky, and for good reason. 

I am not going to explain when to use the subjunctive in depth right now, but I will highlight how to conjugate “entender” in this subjunctive form. 

Remember that the present subjunctive is used to express desires, doubts, wishes, or emotions about present or future actions. 

We often use it in dependent clauses following certain expressions or verbs that indicate influence, desire, or doubt.

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Present Subjunctive

• Es importante que yo entienda la situación. (It’s important that I understand the situation.)
• Quiero que tú entiendas la importancia del tema. (I want you to understand the importance of the topic.)
• Espero que él/ella entienda nuestras razones. (I hope he/she understands our reasons.)
• Es necesario que nosotros entendamos el contexto. (It’s necessary that we understand the context.)
• Recomiendo que vosotros entendáis las consecuencias. (I recommend that you all understand the consequences.)
• Dudo que ellos/ellas entiendan la gravedad del asunto. (I doubt they understand the seriousness of the matter.)

The Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	entendiera, entendiese
you	tú	entendieras, entendieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	entendiera, entendiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	entendiéramos, entendiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	entendierais, entendieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	entendieran, entendiesen

When We Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

Just like the present subjunctive, the imperfect subjunctive is used to express hypothetical situations, doubts, wishes, or desires. This time, however, about past actions. 

It’s often used in dependent clauses following certain expressions or verbs that indicate influence, desire, or doubt.

Examples of this are below.

Examples of the Verb “Entender” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Yo esperaba que tú entendieras mi posición. (I hoped you would understand my position.)
• Prefería que él/ella entendiera la situación antes. (I preferred that he/she understood the situation earlier.)
• Era necesario que nosotros entendiéramos las implicaciones. (It was necessary that we understood the implications.)
• Me alegraba que vosotros entendierais la importancia del proyecto. (I was glad that you all understood the importance of the project.)
• Dudaba que ellos/ellas entendieran la gravedad del problema. (I doubted they understood the seriousness of the problem.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡entiende!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡entienda!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡entendamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡entended!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡entiendan!

When We Use the Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Spanish is used to give direct commands or instructions in a positive manner. 

It’s important to note that the affirmative imperative typically uses the verb form without a subject pronoun, except for emphasis or clarification.

Examples of How to Conjugate “Entender” in The Affirmative Imperative

• ¡Entiende el problema! (Understand the problem!)
• ¡Entendamos la situación juntos! (Let’s understand the situation together!)
• ¡Entended las instrucciones cuidadosamente! (Understand the instructions carefully!)
• ¡Entienda usted la importancia de esto! (Understand the importance of this!)
• ¡Entiendan ellos la gravedad del asunto! (Let them understand the seriousness of the matter!)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡no entiendas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no entienda!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no entendamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no entendáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no entiendan!

When We Use the Negative Imperative

The negative imperative in Spanish is used to give direct commands or instructions in a negative manner, often indicating what someone should not do. 

Like the affirmative imperative, the negative imperative typically uses the verb form without a subject pronoun.

Examples of How to Conjugate “Entender” in The Negative Imperative

• No entiendas mal. (Don’t misunderstand.)
• No entendamos más allá de lo necesario. (Let’s not overthink.)
• No entendáis la situación sin haberla analizado. (Don’t understand the situation without having analyzed it.)
• No entienda usted la información incorrectamente. (Don’t misunderstand the information.)

Online Spanish Courses & Grammar Courses

I hope you found this conjugation guide useful 🙂

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