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Teleostomi Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

Do, Did or Have?

I'm attending a physics class on the theory of relativity. I'm going to ask a student next to me if he's understood the theory. How would I say?


(1)Do you understand?

(2)Have you understood?

(3)Did you understand?
  

Top answer

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7 Answers
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"Did you understand (what the lecturer said)" or "Do you understand (what Hilbert Space is)?"
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Even during the class do you say "Did you undestand?"
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If it's something that was just explained, and you want to know if your classmate understood what was just explained, then yes, you say, "Did you understand (that [explanation / point / concept / principle])?"

If you want to know in a more general way if someone understands, you say "Do you understand (this material)?"

In the typical usages, Do you understand (xyz)?
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How about

(2)Have you understood?

To me, it works quite well in BrE.

It really doesn't seem too much used in AmE.
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In AmE I don't think we'd use Have you understood? if any significant amount of time had passed since the moment when potential understanding might have taken place.

Immediately after explaining something to a student one might say in AmE Have you understood? (or Do you understand? or Did you understand?) But a few minutes later, after a short interru
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Thanks, I understood.[You don't usually say "I have understood" in AmE, right?]
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Thanks, I understand.

I'd say I have understood is quite rare in BrE too. An example could be I have always understood that A means the same as B, but now it seems they're quite different.
Or: How much have you understood so far?

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