comprehender

English

Etymology

From comprehend +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛndə(ɹ)

Noun

comprehender (plural comprehenders)

1. One who comprehends.
   • 2005, Margaret J. Snowling, Charles Hulme, The Science of Reading: A Handbook, page 232:

     Less-skilled comprehenders do not know when it is appropriate to draw inferences.

   • 1989, Hans-Wilhelm Dechert, Manfred Raupach, Interlingual Processes, page 138:

     This mental representation provides the comprehender with a general plan according to which he can organize, interrelate and memorize the incoming information.

   • 1908, Paul Deussen, The Philosophy of the Upanishads, page 169:

     There is no seer beside him, no hearer beside him, no comprehender beside him, no knower beside him.

Synonyms

• comprehensor (obsolete)

Derived terms

• noncomprehender

Translations

one who comprehends

Portuguese: compreensor m Spanish: comprehensor m, comprensor m

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin comprehendo, comprehendere.

Verb

comprehender

1. to teach
2. to understand; to comprehend
   • Premier Volume des Exposées des Épistoles:

     Les ministres des juifz comprehenderent Jesus Christ

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-d, *-ds, *-dt are modified to t, z, t. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

		simple			compound
infinitive		comprehender			avoir comprehendé
gerund		en comprehendant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		comprehendant
past participle		comprehendé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	comprehent	comprehendes	comprehende	comprehendons	comprehendez	comprehendent
	imperfect	comprehendoie, comprehendeie, comprehendoe, comprehendeve	comprehendoies, comprehendeies, comprehendoes, comprehendeves	comprehendoit, comprehendeit, comprehendot, comprehendeve	comprehendiiens, comprehendiens	comprehendiiez, comprehendiez	comprehendoient, comprehendeient, comprehendoent, comprehendevent
	preterite	comprehendai	comprehendas	comprehenda	comprehendames	comprehendastes	comprehenderent
	future	comprehenderai	comprehenderas	comprehendera	comprehenderons	comprehenderoiz, comprehendereiz, comprehenderez	comprehenderont
	conditional	comprehenderoie, comprehendereie	comprehenderoies, comprehendereies	comprehenderoit, comprehendereit	comprehenderiiens, comprehenderiens	comprehenderiiez, comprehenderiez	comprehenderoient, comprehendereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	comprehent	comprehenz	comprehent	comprehendons	comprehendez	comprehendent
	imperfect	comprehendasse	comprehendasses	comprehendast	comprehendissons, comprehendissiens	comprehendissoiz, comprehendissez, comprehendissiez	comprehendassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	comprehende	—	comprehendons	comprehendez	—

    Conjugation of comprehender (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (comprehender)

Portuguese

Verb

comprehender (first-person singular present comprehendo, first-person singular preterite comprehendi, past participle comprehendido)

1. Pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of compreender.
   • 1880, Maria Amalia Vaz de Carvalho, “A Cigana [Gypsy]”, in Contos e phantasias [Short stories and fantasies]‎, 2nd edition, Lisbon: Parceria Antonio Maria Pereira, published 1905, page 146:

     A Cigana, parecendo comprehender aquellas palavras, endireitou-se, e pousando as patas no collo da menina, beijou-lhe carinhosamente as mãos...

     The Gypsy, appearing to comprehend those words, straightened up, and, laying her paws on the girl’s lap, kissed her hands lovingly...

Conjugation

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	comprehender
Personal	comprehender	comprehenderes	comprehender	comprehendermos	comprehenderdes	comprehenderem
Gerund
	comprehendendo
Past participle
Masculine	comprehendido			comprehendidos
Feminine	comprehendida			comprehendidas
Indicative
Present	comprehendo	comprehendes	comprehende	comprehendemos	comprehendeis	comprehendem
Imperfect	comprehendia	comprehendias	comprehendia	comprehendíamos	comprehendíeis	comprehendiam
Preterite	comprehendi	comprehendeste	comprehendeu	comprehendemos	comprehendestes	comprehenderam
Pluperfect	comprehendera	comprehenderas	comprehendera	comprehendêramos	comprehendêreis	comprehenderam
Future	comprehenderei	comprehenderás	comprehenderá	comprehenderemos	comprehendereis	comprehenderão
Conditional	comprehenderia	comprehenderias	comprehenderia	comprehenderíamos	comprehenderíeis	comprehenderiam
Subjunctive
Present	comprehenda	comprehendas	comprehenda	comprehendamos	comprehendais	comprehendam
Imperfect	comprehendesse	comprehendesses	comprehendesse	comprehendêssemos	comprehendêsseis	comprehendessem
Future	comprehender	comprehenderes	comprehender	comprehendermos	comprehenderdes	comprehenderem
Imperative
Affirmative		comprehende	comprehenda	comprehendamos	comprehendei	comprehendam
Negative (não)		não comprehendas	não comprehenda	não comprehendamos	não comprehendais	não comprehendam

    Conjugation of comprehender (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin comprehendere. See the inherited form comprender.

Verb

comprehender (first-person singular present comprehendo, first-person singular preterite comprehendí, past participle comprehendido)

1. Obsolete spelling of comprender.
   • c. 5th century, José Cayetano Díaz de Beyral, transl., La ciudad de Dios‎, translation of De Civitate Dei by Augustine of Hippo, published 1795, book XII, chapter XVIII:

     Sobre el otro punto que dicen, que ni la ciencia de Dios puede comprehender las cosas infinitas, les resta el atreverse á decir, sumergiéndose en este profundo abismo de impiedad, que no conoce Dios todos los números […]

     As for their other assertion, that God's knowledge cannot comprehend things infinite, it only remains for them to affirm, in order that they may sound the depths of their impiety, that God does not know all numbers […]

Conjugation

infinitive			comprehender
gerund			comprehendiendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		comprehendido		comprehendida
		plural		comprehendidos		comprehendidas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	comprehendo	comprehendestú comprehendésvos	comprehende	comprehendemos	comprehendéis	comprehenden
	imperfect	comprehendía	comprehendías	comprehendía	comprehendíamos	comprehendíais	comprehendían
	preterite	comprehendí	comprehendiste	comprehendió	comprehendimos	comprehendisteis	comprehendieron
	future	comprehenderé	comprehenderás	comprehenderá	comprehenderemos	comprehenderéis	comprehenderán
	conditional	comprehendería	comprehenderías	comprehendería	comprehenderíamos	comprehenderíais	comprehenderían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	comprehenda	comprehendastú comprehendásvos2	comprehenda	comprehendamos	comprehendáis	comprehendan
	imperfect (ra)	comprehendiera	comprehendieras	comprehendiera	comprehendiéramos	comprehendierais	comprehendieran
	imperfect (se)	comprehendiese	comprehendieses	comprehendiese	comprehendiésemos	comprehendieseis	comprehendiesen
	future1	comprehendiere	comprehendieres	comprehendiere	comprehendiéremos	comprehendiereis	comprehendieren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		comprehendetú comprehendévos	comprehenda	comprehendamos	comprehended	comprehendan
	negative		no comprehendas	no comprehenda	no comprehendamos	no comprehendáis	no comprehendan

    Conjugation of comprehender (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive comprehender	dative	comprehenderme	comprehenderte	comprehenderle, comprehenderse	comprehendernos	comprehenderos	comprehenderles, comprehenderse
	accusative	comprehenderme	comprehenderte	comprehenderlo, comprehenderla, comprehenderse	comprehendernos	comprehenderos	comprehenderlos, comprehenderlas, comprehenderse
with gerund comprehendiendo	dative	comprehendiéndome	comprehendiéndote	comprehendiéndole, comprehendiéndose	comprehendiéndonos	comprehendiéndoos	comprehendiéndoles, comprehendiéndose
	accusative	comprehendiéndome	comprehendiéndote	comprehendiéndolo, comprehendiéndola, comprehendiéndose	comprehendiéndonos	comprehendiéndoos	comprehendiéndolos, comprehendiéndolas, comprehendiéndose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative comprehende	dative	comprehéndeme	comprehéndete	comprehéndele	comprehéndenos	not used	comprehéndeles
	accusative	comprehéndeme	comprehéndete	comprehéndelo, comprehéndela	comprehéndenos	not used	comprehéndelos, comprehéndelas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative comprehendé	dative	comprehendeme	comprehendete	comprehendele	comprehendenos	not used	comprehendeles
	accusative	comprehendeme	comprehendete	comprehendelo, comprehendela	comprehendenos	not used	comprehendelos, comprehendelas
with formal second-person singular imperative comprehenda	dative	comprehéndame	not used	comprehéndale, comprehéndase	comprehéndanos	not used	comprehéndales
	accusative	comprehéndame	not used	comprehéndalo, comprehéndala, comprehéndase	comprehéndanos	not used	comprehéndalos, comprehéndalas
with first-person plural imperative comprehendamos	dative	not used	comprehendámoste	comprehendámosle	comprehendámonos	comprehendámoos	comprehendámosles
	accusative	not used	comprehendámoste	comprehendámoslo, comprehendámosla	comprehendámonos	comprehendámoos	comprehendámoslos, comprehendámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative comprehended	dative	comprehendedme	not used	comprehendedle	comprehendednos	comprehendeos	comprehendedles
	accusative	comprehendedme	not used	comprehendedlo, comprehendedla	comprehendednos	comprehendeos	comprehendedlos, comprehendedlas
with formal second-person plural imperative comprehendan	dative	comprehéndanme	not used	comprehéndanle	comprehéndannos	not used	comprehéndanles, comprehéndanse
	accusative	comprehéndanme	not used	comprehéndanlo, comprehéndanla	comprehéndannos	not used	comprehéndanlos, comprehéndanlas, comprehéndanse

    Selected combined forms of comprehender

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

Further reading

• “comprehender”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10