comprendre
/kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ/
In French, "get it" is translated as comprendre.
The verb comprendre is used to express the act of understanding something. Unlike the English 'get it' which can be used as a standalone exclamation, comprendre is a transitive verb that usually requires an object or a subordinate clause in formal French.
Meaning: to understand something (verb)
Which one should you use?
While comprendre is the standard way to say "to understand," other verbs offer different nuances. Saisir and appréhender mean to grasp or comprehend, while capter can mean to catch or get. For a more informal way to say "to get/understand," you can use the slang term piger.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of comprendre is compris, which is used to form the past tense or to say 'understood'. To say "I get it" in the present tense, use the form Je comprends.
How do you pronounce it?
comprendre is pronounced /kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ/. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, the word for 'to include' and 'to understand' is identical: comprendre. This means if you say Cela comprend beaucoup de choses, you could mean 'That understands many things' or 'That includes many things'.
- The slang term piger to mean 'to get it' is believed to come from the Romani word for 'to understand', which entered French through various linguistic channels.
- To say you 'get it' in very casual French, you can say C'est capté. This phrasing treats the act of understanding like a radio signal that has been successfully received.
Examples in context
- Tom n'a pas l'air de comprendre.Tom doesn't seem to get it.This sentence shows how to use comprendre to say someone doesn't seem to get it.Tatoeba #5620503 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #5620492 by CK
- Je ne suis pas sûr de comprendre.I'm not sure I get it.This sentence uses comprendre to express uncertainty about understanding.Tatoeba #4862644 by sacredceltic, translation #2547150 by CK
- J'ai dit que j'allais comprendre.I said I'll get it.This sentence uses comprendre to talk about the intention to get something.Tatoeba #7857567 by Salutlolo, translation #2405867 by CK
- Comprenez-vous?Do you understand?
- Avez-vous saisi?Have you grasped it?
- T'as capté?Did you get it?
- T'as pigé?Did you understand?
- Je ne comprends pas.I don't get it.
- Il appréhende facilement les nouvelles idées.He easily grasps new ideas.
- J'essaie de saisir les subtilités de cette langue.I'm trying to apprehend the subtleties of this language.
- T'as pigé le plan?Did you get the plan?
- J'ai capté l'idée générale.I got the general idea.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa is explaining a math problem to Hugo.
- LéaEst-ce que tu peux comprendre ce problème ?Can you understand this problem?
- HugoNon, je ne peux pas comprendre.No, I can't get it.
- LéaJe vais t'aider à comprendre.I will help you understand.
- HugoAh, maintenant je commence à comprendre !Ah, now I'm starting to get it!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry comprendre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
