Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| comprendere | /komˈprɛn.de.re/ |
| capire | /kaˈpi.re/ |
Both comprendere and capire mean to understand. However, comprendere carries a broader meaning as it can also mean 'to include' or 'to comprise'.
Which one should you use?
While comprendere is a direct cognate for the English 'comprehend', capire is the much more common and everyday way to express 'to understand'. Additionally, comprendere can mean 'to include', whereas capire is limited to the sense of understanding.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Comprendere is used in more formal, literary or intellectual contexts. In contrast, capire is the conversational choice used in everyday speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the first-person singular present indicative, the form of capire is capisco and the form of comprendere is comprendo. The past participle capito is often used alone as an informal question, Capito?, to mean 'Got it?' or 'Understood?'
How do you pronounce it?
comprendere is pronounced /komˈprɛn.de.re/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The common verb capire shares its ancestral roots with the physical act of seizing or grabbing something. This connects the mental act of understanding to the physical act of 'taking hold' of an idea.
- Because comprendere can mean both 'to understand' and 'to include', it can create ambiguity in legal or formal documents if the context is not clear.
Examples in context
- Ci sono cose che puoi ancora non comprendere appieno.There are things you may not fully comprehend yet.This sentence uses comprendere to show that some things may not be fully understood.Tatoeba #13001044 by Nuel, translation #13001042 by Nuel
- L'idea di normalità è difficile da comprendere per me.The idea of normality is hard for me to comprehend.This sentence uses comprendere to express the difficulty of comprehending an idea.Tatoeba #12991352 by Nuel, translation #12991351 by Nuel
- Non riesco a comprendere perché abbia un tale animosità nei miei confronti.I can't comprehend why he has such animosity towards me.This sentence uses comprendere to describe an inability to comprehend someone's animosity.Tatoeba #13018948 by Nuel, translation #13018947 by Nuel
- Non riesco a comprendere la sua decisioneI can't comprehend his decision
- È importante che tutti capiscano l'importanza della questioneIt's important for everyone to comprehend/understand the importance of the matter.
- Non capisco cosa intendiI don't comprehend/understand what you mean
- Non riesco a cogliere il senso del tuo discorsoI cannot grasp the meaning of your speech.
- Non capisco cosa diciI don't comprehend/understand what you're saying.
- Non riesco a comprendere le tue motivazioni per questa scelta così drastica.I can't comprehend your motivations for this drastic choice.
- Non capisco cosa intendi con questa affermazione.I don't comprehend/understand what you mean with this statement.
- Cogliere il senso profondo di una poesia può essere difficile.Grasping the deep meaning of a poem can be difficult.
- È importante che tutti comprendano quanto sia cruciale risparmiare energia.It's important for everyone to comprehend/understand how crucial it is to save energy.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are discussing a complex book they are reading.
- MatteoMartina, riesci a comprendere questo capitolo?Martina, can you comprehend this chapter?
- MartinaNo, è troppo complicato da comprendere.No, it is too complicated to comprehend.
- MatteoProviamo a leggerlo insieme allora.Let's try to read it together then.
- MartinaSì, così forse riuscirò a comprendere meglio.Yes, that way maybe I will be able to comprehend it better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “comprehend” translations and entries comprendere, capire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries capire, comprendere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
