versteh

From Middle High German verstān, virstēn, vorstēn, ferstān, from Old High German firstān, firstēn, from Proto-Germanic *frastāną, equivalent to ver- +‎ steh. CompareGerman verstehen and Dutch verstaan.

• IPA^(key): /fɐˈʃd̥eː/, [ˈʃd̥e̞ː]
• Hyphenation: ver‧steh

versteh (past participle verståndn)

1. (transitive or intransitive) to understand
   1. to hear and interpret (speech)

      I versteh di ned bei dem Kråch. ― I can't understand you with this noise.

   2. to comprehend, make sense of
      • 1984, Günter Dzikowski, Helmut Nowak, Peter Koller, “Du verstehst mi ned”, in Der Sinn des Lebens, performed by Wolfgang Ambros:

        Du verstehst mi ned, du verstehst mi ned / Mir kummt sogoa vua, du huachst goa ned zua

        You don't understand, you don't understand / It even seems to me you're not listening at all

      I versteh ned, wås d'moanst. ― I don't understand what you mean.

      Synonyms: begreifn, gneißn

   3. to take, see, gather (impute what is not explicitly stated)

      I häd des so verståndn, dåss mia schoaf san. ― I'd have understand this in such a way that we're even.

   4. to know, have knowledge or understanding of (through experience or study)

      De verstengang vü vom Autofoarn . ― They know a lot about driving a car.

2. (reflexive) to understand oneself, understand each other, be understood
   1. (with ois) to see oneself as, to think of oneself as

      Mia verstengan se ois Dienstleister. ― We see ourselves as a service provider.

   2. to understand one another, be able to communicate

      I hoff, mia verstengan se. ― I hope we understand each other.

   3. (with mit) to get along with

      De zwoa verstenga se guad. ― The two get along well.

      Wia verstehst du di mit dein Chef? ― How do you get along with your boss?

   4. (with auf) to be an expert (at something)

      Se versteht se auf hinterfotzige Beleidigungen. ― She is an expert at making well disguised insults.

   5. to be meant, to have to be interpreted (in some way)

      De Preise verstengan se ohne Mehrwertsteier. ― The indicated prices do not include VAT. (literally, “The indicated prices should be understood as without VAT.”)

   6. (impersonal) to go without saying, to be obvious

      Des versteht se vo söbst. ― That goes without saying.

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versteh

1. singular imperative of verstehen