German word

nachvollziehen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈnaːxˌfɔlˌtsiːən/

Meaning

  • verbunderstand

Example

Ich habe sein Verhalten nicht nachvollzogen.

I couldn't make sense of his behavior.

Illustration for nachvollziehen (understand)

More examples

Ich kann nachvollziehen, wie du die Sache siehst.

I can understand how you see the matter.

Core concept

A path of actions or reasons is retraced mentally until the whole line makes sense.

Common phrases

  • etwas nachvollziehen

    understand something

  • seine Perspektive nachvollziehen

    understand his perspective

  • jemandes Argumente nachvollziehen

    understand someone's arguments

Similar words

verstehen: Understand the meaning of an explanation or statement.
nachempfinden: Imagine another person's feelings or thoughts as if they were your own.
einsehen: Recognize something as justified or necessary after understanding the circumstances.
begreifen: Gain a deep grasp of a concept or phenomenon.

Definition in German

Ein Verb, gedanklich den Ablauf oder die Gründe von etwas erfassen und verstehen

Word origin

Nachvollziehen combines the separable prefix nach- with vollziehen, whose older sense is to carry out, giving the idea of following something through afterward.

Usage tips

  • In "Ich kann das nachvollziehen," the speaker expresses understanding or empathy, not necessarily agreement.

Other meanings

  • appreciateverb
  • followverb
  • empathizeverb

Opposites

  • missverstehenmisunderstandverb

Related words

  • nachvollziehbarunderstandableadjective
  • Nachvollziehbarkeitcomprehensibilitynoun

Word lists with this word