verb
to understand, to comprehend
A1
Verstehen: to understand or comprehend; also to grasp meaning. It uses haben as auxiliary and is a strong (irregular) verb: Präteritum verstand, Partizip II verstanden. Normally non‑reflexive; reflexive sich verstehen (mit + Dativ) means “to get along with” and takes mit.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Der Schüler verstand die Aufgabe nicht, weil die Erklärung zu schnell war.
The student did not understand the task because the explanation was too fast.
Ich habe die Frage nicht verstanden.
I didn't understand the question.
Ich habe alles verstanden.
I understood everything.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Picture a light bulb turning on above someone's head when they 'verstehen'.
Sounds like 'fur-stay-en' — imagine staying with someone until you understand.