Ways to say it
| Bosnian | Note |
|---|---|
| razumjeti | Ijekavian, Latin, imperfective |
| razumeti | Ekavian, Latin, imperfective |
The primary way to express the act of grasping the meaning of something is through the verb razumjeti. In casual settings, you might also encounter the colloquial term skontati or the slang expression Kontam to say "I understand."
Which one should you use?
The two forms provided, razumeti and razumjeti, are different regional variants of the same word. The form razumjeti is the standard Ijekavian variant used in Bosnian, while razumeti is the Ekavian variant more common in Serbian.
Is it said differently in some regions?
razumjeti is the Ijekavian variant standard in Bosnian, Croatian and Montenegrin. razumeti is the Ekavian variant which is more common in Serbian.
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form razumjeti is used after auxiliary verbs or when expressing the concept of the action itself.
Did you know?
- The slang word skontati is a linguistic loan from the German word 'konstatieren', meaning 'to ascertain' or 'to notice'.
- During an argument, asking Razumiješ li? is often not a genuine question about comprehension. Instead, it is frequently used as a rhetorical challenge to the other person's logic.
- Using skontati instead of razumjeti can signal a strong generational divide, as older speakers may view the term as overly modern or 'street' language.
Examples in context
- Mi se približimo, pokušavati razumjeti jedni drugog, ali samo povrijedimo jedni drugog i plačemo.We get closer, trying to understand each other, but just hurt each other and cry.This sentence shows the use of razumjeti in a context regarding the attempt to understand one another.Tatoeba #2025560 by Bosnian93, translation #542548 by blay_paul
- Razumijem vas.I understand you.
- Ma, kontam šta pričaš.Yeah, I understand what you are saying.
- Evo, skontao sam šta treba da uradim.Alright, I've figured out what needs to be done.
Example conversation
Jasmina and Adnan are discussing a difficult topic.
- JasminaMožeš li mi objasniti ovo ponovo?Can you explain this to me again?
- AdnanNaravno, želim da razumjeti sve jasno.Of course, I want you to understand everything clearly.
- JasminaSada počinjem razumjeti tvoju ideju.Now I am starting to understand your idea.
- AdnanDrago mi je što smo se razumjeli.I am glad we understood each other.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “understand” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
