Ways to say it
| Czech | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| rozumět | [ˈrozumɲɛt] (narrow) | imperfective |
| porozumět | [ˈporozumɲɛt] (narrow) | perfective |
The verb is used to describe the act of grasping the meaning of a person, a thing or a concept.
Which one should you use?
Czech uses two forms to distinguish the nature of understanding. The imperfective form rozumět is used to describe a continuous state of understanding or a general ability to understand. The perfective form porozumět is used to describe the specific moment of grasping a meaning or the act of successfully comprehending something once, implying a thorough comprehension of the topic under discussion.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both rozumět and its perfective counterpart porozumět always require the dative case for the person or thing being understood.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When using rozumět, do not use the accusative case for the object you understand. You must use the dative case. For example, say rozumím tomu instead of rozumím to.
Did you know?
- In a heated argument, telling someone rozumíš mi? can sound more like a challenge to their logic than a genuine question about their comprehension.
- While 'rozumět' describes the ability to comprehend, using porozumět often carries a nuance of 'empathizing' with or 'showing tolerance' toward someone's situation.
- Czech speakers often use rozumím as a way to say 'I agree' or 'I acknowledge your point' during a conversation, even if no complex meaning was being explained.
Examples in context
- Oni mi jsou schopni porozumět.They can understand me.This sentence shows how to use the perfective form porozumět to express the ability to understand someone.Tatoeba #3542897 by nueby, translation #641916 by CK
- Tom tomu možná nebude rozumět.Tom might not understand it.This sentence demonstrates the use of the imperfective form rozumět to express a possibility of not understanding something.Tatoeba #13944697 by Ergulis, translation #13944694 by Ergulis
- Jeho básním je těžké porozumět.His poems are difficult to understand.This sentence uses the perfective form porozumět to describe the difficulty of grasping the meaning of poems.Tatoeba #8084274 by aldar, translation #286511 by CK
- Rozumíte, co říkám?Do you understand what I'm saying?
- Ano, rozumím.Yes, I understand.
- Porozuměl jste mému vysvětlení?Did you understand my explanation?
- Prosím, ujistěte se, že to plně chápete.Please make sure you understand it fully.
- Chápu vaše instrukce.I understand your instructions.
- Jo, v tom mám jasno.Yeah, I get it.
- Nevěděl jsem, co mají na mysli, ale nakonec jsem to pochopil.I didn't know what they meant, but eventually, I understood.
- Fajn, pochopil jsi to.Great, you got it.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “understand” translations and entries rozumět, porozumět, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
