Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| no entiendo | /ˌno enˈtjendo/ |
| no comprendo | /ˌno komˈpɾendo/ |
In formal settings, you might say Disculpe, no comprendo. to mean "Excuse me, I don't understand."
Which one should you use?
no entiendo is the most common way to say "I don't understand" in everyday conversation, often used for not grasping a concept or a specific sentence.
How does it change in a sentence?
The subject pronoun yo (I) is frequently omitted because the verb ending -o in entiendo already indicates the first-person singular.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌno enˈtjendo/
When do people say it?
If you didn't hear or understand what someone said, a very common, informal way to ask them to repeat is to simply say ¿Cómo? instead of the full phrase no entiendo. If you need someone to repeat something more politely, you can say Perdón, podrías explicarlo de nuevo, por favor? which means "Sorry, could you explain it again, please?"
Did you know?
- If you are confused by a complex situation rather than just a sentence, you might say no me entero, which is an informal way of saying 'I am not getting it'.
- Using ¿Mande? instead of ¿Cómo? is a very common way to ask someone to repeat themselves in Mexico, and it is considered much more polite.
- The verb entender in no entiendo shares a root with the English word 'intend'. Both come from the Latin 'intendere', meaning to stretch or direct one's attention toward something.
Examples in context
- Yo no entiendo esto.I don't understand this.Tatoeba #1202222 by marcelostockle, translation #506447 by rtomharper
- No entiendo su idea.I don't understand his idea.Tatoeba #3119695 by cueyayotl, translation #10251627 by LimeGreenTeknii
- No entiendo el arte.I don't understand art.Tatoeba #10124661 by manufrutos, translation #5265481 by CK
- La lección de hoy es bastante complicada, no entiendo nada.Today's lesson is quite complicated, I don't understand anything.
- Disculpe, no comprendo lo que está diciendo.Excuse me, I don't understand what you are saying.
- ¿Qué dijiste? No entiendo lo que me estás diciendo.What did you say? I don't understand what you're telling me.
- No capto la idea que estás tratando de transmitir.I don't catch on to the idea you're trying to convey.
- 135 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel is learning Spanish and Lucía is explaining a rule.
- DanielLo siento, no entiendo.I'm sorry, I don't understand.
- LucíaPuedo explicarlo otra vez, Daniel.I can explain it again, Daniel.
- DanielGracias, ahora sí lo entiendo.Thank you, now I do understand it.
- LucíaDe nada, Lucía está feliz de ayudar.You're welcome, Lucía is happy to help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I don't understand” translations and entries no entiendo, no comprendo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
