What does comprendre in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word comprendre in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use comprendre in French.

The word comprendre in French means understand, get, understand, include, comprise, incorporate, see, be understandable, understand each other, understand one another, It makes no sense!, Don't ask!, read between the lines, misunderstand, understand immediately, understand instantly, understand the inner workings of, get to understand, Go figure!, to provide some background, Did I hear right?, misunderstand, not understand any of it, not understand a word of , not understand a single word of, without trying to understand, without trying to understand, without making an effort to understand, make yourself understood, Try working that out!, Figure that one out!. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word comprendre

understand

verbe transitif (saisir par l'esprit)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Tous nos élèves comprennent l'anglais.
All our students understand English.

get

verbe transitif (appréhender) (informal)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Il ne comprend pas du tout la musique classique.
He doesn't get classical music at all.

understand

verbe transitif (saisir une manière de voir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Je comprends sa méfiance vis-à-vis des journalistes. Sa mère ne comprend pas son comportement.
His mother cannot comprehend his behaviour.

include

verbe transitif (inclure dans un total)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Nos tarifs ne comprennent pas les taxes.
Our prices are not inclusive of taxes.

comprise, incorporate

verbe transitif (être composé de) (formal)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Notre école comprend 150 élèves.
Our school consists of 150 pupils.

see

verbe transitif (façon d'envisager les choses) (figurative)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
C'est comme ça que je comprends la vie.
That's how I see life.

be understandable

verbe pronominal (être compréhensible)

Sa colère envers ses parents se comprend, vu comment ils l'ont traité.
ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. His anger at his parents is understandable, given the way they have treated him.

understand each other, understand one another

verbe pronominal (s'entendre)

(transitive verb and reflexive pronoun: Transitive verb with reflexive pronoun--for example, "Enjoy yourself." "They behaved themselves.")
Elle ne parle pas français, nous ne nous comprenons pas.
She doesn't speak French, so we don't understand each other (or: one another).

It makes no sense!

(situation incompréhensible)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

Don't ask!

(ce serait incompréhensible pour toi)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
– Attends, Frank est parti au supermarché acheter à manger alors qu'on va au restaurant ce soir ? – Cherche pas à comprendre !

read between the lines

locution verbale (deviner le sens) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les psychologues comprennent souvent beaucoup de choses à demi-mot.

misunderstand

locution verbale (mal comprendre, mal saisir)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Cet élève comprend souvent de travers.

understand immediately, understand instantly

locution verbale (comprendre rapidement)

understand the inner workings of

locution verbale (saisir le sens, l'intelligence de)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

get to understand

locution verbale (expliquer les raisons de [qch] à [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

Go figure!

(familier (C'est comme ça !)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")

to provide some background

locution adverbiale (afin de comprendre)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

Did I hear right?

(il m'a semblé que)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
J'ai cru comprendre que tu allais te marier : félicitations !
Did I hear right? You're getting married? Congratulations!

misunderstand

locution verbale (mécomprendre)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

not understand any of it

(vieilli, familier (ne rien comprendre à [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Je n'y comprends que couic à ce problème.

not understand a word of , not understand a single word of

(ne rien comprendre à [qch])

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Nous n'avons pas compris un traître mot à la définition qu'il a donnée.

without trying to understand

locution adverbiale (sans écouter les arguments)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
L'instituteur a puni les deux élèves sans chercher à comprendre.

without trying to understand, without making an effort to understand

locution adverbiale (sans le sens des nuances)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Le chef a tranché dans le vif sans chercher à comprendre.

make yourself understood

(être compris)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

Try working that out!, Figure that one out!

interjection (C'est incompréhensible !) (informal)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of comprendre in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Related words of comprendre

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.