How do you say "understand" in Russian?

понять

ponjat'

Verb Cyrillic

In Russian, "understand" is понять (ponjat').

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Pronunciation

Say it roughly as ponjat', landing hardest on the "jat" part, keeping everything else soft and unstressed. Take it slowly the first few times until the rhythm feels natural.

Writing and usage

понять is written using cyrillic. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

Теперь я понял урок.

Teper' ja ponjal urok.

I understand the lesson now.

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How to remember понять

The chunk "pon" inside "ponjat'" can remind you of something like the syllable "pon" in everyday English speech, tied to "understand".

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about понять

How do you pronounce понять?

Say it roughly as ponjat', landing hardest on the "jat" part, keeping everything else soft and unstressed. Take it slowly the first few times until the rhythm feels natural.

Is понять formal or casual?

понять is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is понять used in Russian?

понять is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: Теперь я понял урок. (I understand the lesson now.).

Where can I practice Russian words for free?

You can play free Russian minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Russian glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Understand" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Russian language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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