Comprender Conjugation in Spanish
comprender means "to understand" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about understanding — lessons, people, feelings, books and explanations, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of comprender in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Comprender is a regular -er verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo comprendo la lección cuando el profesor explica despacio. — "I understand the lesson when the teacher explains slowly.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: comprender
- English: to understand
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Gerund: comprendiendo
- Past participle: comprendido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + comprendido)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of comprender with all six persons. The gerund is comprendiendo and the past participle is comprendido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprendo |
| tú | comprendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprende |
| nosotros/as | comprendemos |
| vosotros/as | comprendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprenden |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprendí |
| tú | comprendiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprendió |
| nosotros/as | comprendimos |
| vosotros/as | comprendisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprendieron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprendía |
| tú | comprendías |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprendía |
| nosotros/as | comprendíamos |
| vosotros/as | comprendíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprendían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprenderé |
| tú | comprenderás |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprenderá |
| nosotros/as | comprenderemos |
| vosotros/as | comprenderéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprenderán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprendería |
| tú | comprenderías |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprendería |
| nosotros/as | comprenderíamos |
| vosotros/as | comprenderíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprenderían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he comprendido |
| tú | has comprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha comprendido |
| nosotros/as | hemos comprendido |
| vosotros/as | habéis comprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han comprendido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había comprendido |
| tú | habías comprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había comprendido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos comprendido |
| vosotros/as | habíais comprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían comprendido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré comprendido |
| tú | habrás comprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá comprendido |
| nosotros/as | habremos comprendido |
| vosotros/as | habréis comprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán comprendido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría comprendido |
| tú | habrías comprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría comprendido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos comprendido |
| vosotros/as | habríais comprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían comprendido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprenda |
| tú | comprendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprenda |
| nosotros/as | comprendamos |
| vosotros/as | comprendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprendan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprendiera |
| tú | comprendieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprendiera |
| nosotros/as | comprendiéramos |
| vosotros/as | comprendierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprendieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | comprende |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprenda |
| nosotros/as | comprendamos |
| vosotros/as | comprended |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprendan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | comprendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprenda |
| nosotros/as | comprendamos |
| vosotros/as | comprendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprendan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | comprendiendo |
| Past participle | comprendido |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with comprender, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo comprendo la lección.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo comprendí la lección.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo comprendía la lección.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo comprenderé la lección.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo comprendería la lección si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he comprendido la lección.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había comprendido la lección antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré comprendido la lección.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría comprendido la lección si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él comprenda la lección.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él comprendiera la lección, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Comprende la lección!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No comprendas la lección.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with comprender, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo comprendo la lección cuando el profesor explica despacio. — "I understand the lesson when the teacher explains slowly."
- ¿Tú comprendes la lección de hoy? — "Do you understand today's lesson?"
- Ayer por fin comprendí la lección de matemáticas. — "Yesterday I finally understood the maths lesson."
- Ella comprendía la lección mejor que nadie. — "She used to understand the lesson better than anyone."
- Mañana comprenderé la lección si estudio esta noche. — "Tomorrow I will understand the lesson if I study tonight."
- Yo comprendería la lección si tuvieras más paciencia. — "I would understand the lesson if you had more patience."
- Ya he comprendido la lección, gracias. — "I have already understood the lesson, thank you."
- Espero que comprenda la lección esta vez. — "I hope he understands the lesson this time."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with comprender — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo comprendí la lección — learners often write comprendi without the accent. → Right: Yo comprendí la lección.. The preterite yo form is comprendí, with an accent on the final i. Comprender is regular, so the accent is the only spelling point.
- Wrong: *Yo comprendo la lección — some learners confuse comprender with entender and think one is wrong; both are correct. → Right: Yo comprendo la lección.. Comprender and entender both mean to understand. Comprender often suggests a deeper, fuller understanding, while entender is more common in everyday speech. Either works here.
- Wrong: *Espero que comprendes la lección. → Right: Espero que comprendas la lección.. After espero que, use the subjunctive comprendas, not the indicative comprendes.
- Wrong: *No comprendo nada — learners sometimes add de and write no comprendo de nada. → Right: Yo no comprendo nada.. Comprender takes a direct object with no preposition: comprendo la lección, comprendo el problema. No de is needed.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on comprender. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of comprender in the present indicative?
- a) comprende
- b) comprendemos
- c) comprendes
- d) comprendo
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of comprender in the preterite (past)?
- a) comprendimos
- b) comprendí
- c) comprendiste
- d) comprendió
What is the nosotros/as form of comprender in the imperfect (past)?
- a) comprendía
- b) comprendíamos
- c) comprendía
- d) comprendías
What is the tú form of comprender in the future?
- a) comprenderé
- b) comprenderá
- c) comprenderás
- d) comprenderemos
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of comprender in the conditional?
- a) comprenderías
- b) comprendería
- c) comprenderían
- d) comprendería
What is the yo form of comprender in the present subjunctive?
- a) comprenda
- b) comprendamos
- c) comprendas
- d) comprenda
What is the gerund of comprender?
- a) comprender
- b) comprendiendo
- c) comprende
- d) comprendido
What is the past participle of comprender?
- a) he comprendido
- b) comprendo
- c) comprendiendo
- d) comprendido
What does comprender mean in English?
- a) to understand
- b) to forbid, to prohibit
- c) to have fun
- d) to get stressed
The form comprendí belongs to which tense?
- a) Future
- b) Imperfect
- c) Present
- d) Preterite
Answer key
- comprendo — The yo form in the present indicative is comprendo — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- comprendió — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is comprendió — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- comprendíamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is comprendíamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- comprenderás — The tú form in the future is comprenderás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- comprenderían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is comprenderían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- comprenda — The yo form in the present subjunctive is comprenda — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- comprendiendo — The gerund is comprendiendo — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy comprendiendo). The past participle is comprendido.
- comprendido — The past participle is comprendido — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he comprendido).
- to understand — comprender means "to understand".
- Preterite — comprendí is the yo form of the preterite of comprender — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is comprendía.
Frequently asked questions
Is comprender regular?
Yes, comprender is a regular -er verb: comprendo, comprendes, comprende, comprendemos, comprendéis, comprenden. The preterite is comprendí, comprendiste, comprendió, and the participle is comprendido.
What is the difference between comprender and entender?
They overlap a lot. Entender is the everyday word for understanding what someone says (¿Me entiendes?), while comprender often means a deeper understanding of ideas, feelings or situations (Comprendo tu dolor). In most contexts they are interchangeable.
How do you say "I don't understand" in Spanish?
No comprendo or the more common No entiendo. Both are correct. Add perdón or lo siento to soften it: Lo siento, no comprendo la pregunta.
Does comprender take a preposition?
No. Comprender takes a direct object: comprendo la lección, comprendo tu situación. With a person, use the personal a: Comprendo a mi hermano.
Related pages
- Comprender in the present tense — the present tense of comprender in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Comprender examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with comprender and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Entender conjugation — another verb in the same family as comprender.
- Aprender conjugation — another verb in the same family as comprender.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise comprender with this tool.
- Tense Finder — practise comprender with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.