Entender
to understand
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | entendo | Eu entendo melhor quando faço do que quando leio. — I understand better when I do than when I read. |
| você/ele/ela | entende | Ela entende o que não é dito — lê as entrelinhas. — She understands what isn't said — she reads between the lines. |
| nós | entendemos | Nós entendemos uns aos outros sem precisar explicar tudo. — We understand each other without needing to explain everything. |
| eles/elas | entendem | Eles entendem de vinho melhor do que qualquer sommelier da região. — They understand wine better than any sommelier in the region. |
I understand that not everything needs explanation — some things are just felt. My friend understands people with an acuity that impresses me every time. We understand that respecting a perspective is not agreeing with it. Understanding is an act of generosity.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | entendi | Eu entendi o que ela queria dizer só anos depois. — I understood what she meant only years later. |
| você/ele/ela | entendeu | Ela entendeu na hora e agiu com precisão. — She understood immediately and acted with precision. |
| nós | entendemos | Nós entendemos que não há resposta certa para tudo. — We understood that there is no right answer for everything. |
| eles/elas | entenderam | Eles entenderam a proposta melhor do que esperávamos. — They understood the proposal better than we expected. |
The hardest conversation of the year was also the most valuable. I understood what was behind the conflict that had lasted months. My friend understood my point for the first time — and I hers. We understood that we were afraid of the same thing with different words. Those who understood before speaking built more.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | entendia | Eu entendia matemática melhor com exemplos do cotidiano. — I used to understand maths better with everyday examples. |
| você/ele/ela | entendia | Ela entendia de gente — era o dom dela. — She used to understand people — it was her gift. |
| nós | entendíamos | Nós entendíamos o mundo de formas diferentes mas chegávamos ao mesmo lugar. — We used to understand the world differently but arrived at the same place. |
| eles/elas | entendiam | Eles entendiam o que ninguém explicava — intuição coletiva. — They used to understand what nobody explained — collective intuition. |
At school, I used to understand history but thought I didn't — low self-confidence. My teacher used to understand each student individually — she knew who needed what. We used to understand the world through the lens of the neighbourhood where we grew up. Adults used to understand less than they pretended — we learned that when we grew up.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou entender | Vou entender melhor quando tiver mais contexto. — I'm going to understand better when I have more context. |
| você/ele/ela | vai entender | Ela vai entender quando ver o quadro todo. — She's going to understand when she sees the full picture. |
| nós | vamos entender | Vamos entender juntos o que está acontecendo. — We're going to understand together what is happening. |
| eles/elas | vão entender | Eles vão entender a decisão com o tempo. — They're going to understand the decision with time. |
The documentation is complex but necessary. I'm going to understand every clause before signing anything. My partner is going to understand the financial part better than me — and that's great. We're going to understand together what is at stake. Those who are going to understand better are the ones who ask the most questions.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | entenderei | Entenderei mais desta experiência quanto mais distância tiver. — I will understand more of this experience the more distance I have. |
| você/ele/ela | entenderá | Ela entenderá o sacrifício dos pais quando tiver os próprios. — She will understand her parents' sacrifice when she has her own. |
| nós | entenderemos | Entenderemos as consequências quando chegarem. — We will understand the consequences when they arrive. |
| eles/elas | entenderão | As gerações futuras entenderão o que fizemos agora. — Future generations will understand what we did now. |
The programme was launched: Participants will understand the full process before starting. We will better understand the real needs with the collected data. Leaders will understand their role with the training sessions. I will understand each case individually before making any decision.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | entenderia | Eu entenderia melhor se alguém me explicasse com paciência. — I would understand better if someone explained with patience. |
| você/ele/ela | entenderia | Ela entenderia mais se tivesse vivido a mesma coisa. — She would understand more if she had lived the same thing. |
| nós | entenderíamos | Entenderíamos mais uns aos outros se nos escutássemos de verdade. — We would understand each other more if we truly listened. |
| eles/elas | entenderiam | Eles entenderiam a situação com menos julgamento e mais escuta. — They would understand the situation with less judgement and more listening. |
If there were more patience in the world, I would understand more and judge less. My friend would understand his mum more if he stopped interpreting and started listening. We would understand each other more with longer conversations and fewer social networks. Societies would better understand their differences if there were more space for dialogue.
Entender across the tenses
A short story using entender in multiple tenses
Minha mãe entendia de gente sem ter feito nenhum curso sobre isso. Entendia o que eu não dizia — olhava e sabia. Nós filhos entendíamos que não era mágica: era atenção acumulada por anos.
Hoje eu entendo coisas que ela tentava me dizer quando eu não ouvia. Ontem entendi uma decisão dela que levei anos para aceitar. Entendemos às vezes com muito atraso — mas entendemos.
No próximo ano, vou entender melhor a própria vida sem precisar que ela seja diferente. Se conseguir, entenderei que o presente é suficiente.
Perguntei a ela o que entenderia se pudesse começar de novo. Ela sorriu: Entenderia mais cedo que ninguém sabe tudo. E que não saber não é fraqueza — é o começo de tudo.
My mum used to understand people without having done any course on it. She used to understand what I didn't say — she'd look and know. We children used to understand that it wasn't magic: it was attention accumulated over years. Today I understand things she used to try to tell me when I wasn't listening. Yesterday I understood a decision of hers that took me years to accept. We sometimes understand with a great delay — but we understand. Next year, I'm going to understand my own life better without needing it to be different. If I manage it, I will understand that the present is enough. I asked her what she would understand if she could start over. She smiled: I would understand earlier that nobody knows everything. And that not knowing isn't weakness — it's the beginning of everything.
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