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Definition 2024


verstehen

verstehen

English

Noun

verstehen (uncountable)

  1. (sociology) A stance that attempts to understand the meaning of action from the actor's point of view, so that the actor is seen as a subject rather than an object of observation.

German

Etymology

ver- + stehen. Cognate with Dutch verstaan, English forstand, Middle Low German vorstān.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [fɛɐ̯ˈʃteːən]

Verb

verstehen (irregular, third-person singular simple present versteht, past tense verstand, past participle verstanden, auxiliary haben)

  1. (transitive) to understand, to comprehend (to be aware of the meaning of)
    Ich verstehe, wie diese Maschine funktioniert ... I understand how this machine works.
  2. (reflexive) to get along well with (=mit), to like
    Sie verstehen sich miteinander. They get along well with each other.

Conjugation

Synonyms

Derived terms