How to Say "I Understand" in Dutch

ik begrijp het

In Dutch, "I understand" is said as ik begrijp het.

This phrase is used to show that one comprehends the meaning of something that has been explained.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase literally translates to "I understand it", where het (it) is used to refer to the concept or explanation being discussed.

While ik begrijp het is standard, ik snap het is a very common, more colloquial way to say "I get it" or "I follow".

To express the past tense, the verb begrijpen changes to begreep in the singular past tense, resulting in ik begreep het (I understood it).

While ik begrijp het is standard, the colloquial ik snap het literally uses a verb meaning 'to snap' or 'to click into place'.
To show you are following a conversation in real time, Dutch speakers often use the word precies, meaning 'exactly', instead of saying they understand.
The modern word het is the result of a linguistic merge where a contraction of 'that' was mistaken for a neuter pronoun.

Ja, ik begrijp het. Dank u.
Yes, I understand. Thank you.
This sentence shows how to use ik begrijp het alongside a polite thank you.
Tatoeba #440309 by koosscharroo, translation #403080 by Ramses
Ik begrijp het meer of minder.
I understand it more or less.
This sentence demonstrates how to use ik begrijp het with the expression "more or less".
Tatoeba #1643162 by Globetrotter, translation #781496 by ingenius000
Ik begrijp het.
I understand.
This sentence provides a simple, direct example of using ik begrijp het.
Tatoeba #1620568 by martinod, translation #433468 by CK
Ja, ik begrijp het.
Yes, I understand it.
Prima. Ik snap 'm.
Sounds good. I get it.
7 more sentences on Tatoeba

Julia explains a simple rule to Daan at school.

Sources

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