French Expressions with Comprendre - Lawless French Phrases

Understanding French Phrases


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The French verb comprendre, which means “to understand” as well as "to comprise," is found in many idiomatic expressions, including to believe, to misunderstand, and to not be able to take a joke. Learn these and dozens of other French expressions featuring comprendre.

Comprendre translations

to understand
to follow
to grasp
to realize
to see
to comprehend (formal)
to get (informal)
to be composed of
to comprise
to consist of
to have
to include

Comprendre expressions

comprendre 2, 3, etc parties		to have / be made up of 2, 3, etc parts
comprendre bien		to understand clearly
comprendre la gravité de		to understand / realize the seriousness of
comprendre la plaisanterie		to know how to take a joke
comprendre le chauffage	(rent)	to include heat
comprendre les charges	(rent)	to include utilities
comprendre les choses		to be broad-minded
comprendre les frais		to include fees / expenses
comprendre mal		to misunderstand, have a hard time understanding
comprendre sa douleur	(informal)	to realize what you’ve let yourself in for
comprendre vite		to catch on quickly
croire comprendre		to believe, think
faire comprendre à qqun	(causative)	to explain, make it clear to someone
ne comprendre rien à rien		to not understand a thing, to not have a clue about anything
ne pas arriver à comprendre		to not be able to understand
ne pas comprendre la plaisanterie		to not be able to take a joke

Va / Allez comprendre pourquoi !		Go figure! I can’t imagine why!
C’est à n’y rien comprendre.		It’s beyond me; I can’t understand a thing.
C’est comme ça que je comprends …		That’s what I think of as …, That’s how I understand …
Dois-je comprendre que … ?		Am I to understand that …?
Je vous ai compris !		I understand, I get it!
Il faut comprendre que …		It must be understood that …
Si je comprends bien …		As I understand it …
Tu n’as rien compris au film !	(informal)	You don’t have a clue!

se comprendre à demi-mot		to not have to spell things out to each other
se comprendre l’un l’autre		to understand each other
se faire comprendre	(causative)	to make oneself understood
se faire comprendre à demi-mot		to make oneself understood without having to spell it out
Ça se comprend.		That’s understandable.
Est-ce que je me fais bien comprendre ?		Do I make myself understood?
J’espère que je me suis bien fait comprendre.		I hope I’ve made myself clear.