The French verb “comprendre” means “to understand” and belongs to the -re verb group. Unlike regular -er verbs, -re verbs have a different conjugation pattern, and comprendre is an irregular verb, meaning it does not follow the regular conjugation rules of other -re verbs.
Conjugation of “Comprendre” (To Understand)
Present Indicative Tense
Here is the conjugation of “comprendre” in the present indicative tense:
- Je comprends (I understand)
- Tu comprends (You understand, informal)
- Il/Elle/On comprend (He/She/One understands)
- Nous comprenons (We understand)
- Vous comprenez (You understand, formal/plural)
- Ils/Elles comprennent (They understand)
Conjugation Pattern for -re Verbs
For regular -re verbs, the conjugation pattern in the present indicative tense is:
- Remove the infinitive ending (-re) to find the stem.
- Add the appropriate endings to the stem:
- je: -s
- tu: -s
- il/elle/on: -d
- nous: -ons
- vous: -ez
- ils/elles: -ent
However, comprendre is an irregular verb, so its conjugation does not exactly match this pattern.
Examples of “Comprendre” in Sentences
- Je comprends le problème.
(I understand the problem.) - Tu comprends bien ce que je veux dire.
(You understand well what I mean.) - Il comprend rapidement les concepts compliqués.
(He understands complicated concepts quickly.) - Nous comprenons les instructions données.
(We understand the given instructions.) - Vous comprenez pourquoi cela est important.
(You understand why this is important.) - Ils comprennent la situation maintenant.
(They understand the situation now.)
Summary
- “Comprendre” is an irregular -re verb.
- Its conjugation does not follow the regular -re verb pattern.
- Conjugation in the present tense: je comprends, tu comprends, il/elle/on comprend, nous comprenons, vous comprenez, ils/elles comprennent.
Understanding how to conjugate “comprendre” and similar irregular verbs is key to mastering French, as these verbs are frequently used in both spoken and written French.