Afrikaans

Verb

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

1. to understand

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aːn

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

Synonyms

• begrijpen
• snappen

Derived terms

• verstand

Participle

verstaan

1. past participle of verstaan

Inflection

Finnish

Noun

verstaan

1. Genitive singular form of verstas.