verstaan

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch verstaan.

Verb

verstaan (present verstaan, present participle verstanende, past participle verstaan)

1. to understand

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aːn

• audio

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Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fura + *stāną. Cognate with German verstehen; English forstand, Swedish förstå.

Verstaan originated as a compound word, similar to a host of Germanic compound words meaning "understand". There is a dichotomy in the modern and old Germanic languages between compound words derived from "fore-stand" and "under-stand". However, the dichotomy does not correspond to the separation of the branches of the accepted family tree of Germanic languages. Languages that follow the "fore-stand" paradigm include Modern Danish, Modern Swedish, Modern Dutch and Modern German. Languages that follow the "under-stand" paradigm include Modern English and Old Norse. It is likely that either the two paradigms co-existed in Proto-Germanic, or that neither existed, but "fore" and "under" were synonomous in this context. Gothic, in addition to subscribing to the "fura-stand" paradigm, had a verb 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (fraþjan) which meant understand. It is a cognate to frode meaning a man of wisdom. Since fraþjan, as a verb, did not find its way into any of the other Germanic languages, it was not likely used to mean "understand" in Proto-Germanic.

Verb

verstaan

1. to understand (language, words), to hear clearly.
2. to understand (an idea), to comprehend

Usage notes

In sense 2, the verb begrijpen is more common, but verstaan is also used.

Inflection

Inflection of verstaan (strong class 6, irregular, prefixed)
infinitive	verstaan
past singular	verstond
past participle	verstaan
infinitive	verstaan
gerund	verstaan n
verbal noun	—
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	versta	verstond
2nd person sing. (jij)	verstaat	verstond
2nd person sing. (u)	verstaat	verstond
2nd person sing. (gij)	verstaat	verstondt
3rd person singular	verstaat	verstond
plural	verstaan	verstonden
subjunctive sing.1	versta	verstonde
subjunctive plur.1	verstaan	verstonden
imperative sing.	versta
imperative plur.1	verstaat
participles	verstaand	verstaan
1) Archaic.

Synonyms

• begrijpen
• snappen

Derived terms

• verstand

Participle

verstaan

1. past participle of verstaan

Inflection

Inflection of verstaan
uninflected	verstaan
inflected	verstane
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		verstaan
indefinite	m./f. sing.	verstane
	n. sing.	verstaan
	plural	verstane
definite		verstane
partitive		verstaans

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Finnish

Noun

verstaan

1. Genitive singular form of verstas.