to misunderstand
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to misunderstand
To understand or interpret a statement, an action, or a situation incorrectly.
Ich glaube, du hast mich völlig missverstanden; das habe ich so nicht gemeint.
I think you completely misunderstood me; that is not what I meant.
The verb is made up of the prefix 'miss-' (wrong, bad) and the verb 'verstehen' (to understand). The meaning 'falsch verstehen' (to understand incorrectly) can therefore be derived directly from its parts.
Entschuldigung, da habe ich Sie wohl missverstanden.
Sorry, I must have misunderstood you.
'Missverstehen' is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'miss-' is never separated from the rest of the verb. The past participle is 'missverstanden' (misunderstood), without 'ge-'.
Sie hat seine Geste komplett missverstanden.
She completely misunderstood his gesture.
The verb can also be used reflexively: 'sich missverstehen' (to misunderstand each other). It then means that two or more people misunderstand one another.
Wir haben uns anscheinend missverstanden, lass es uns noch einmal klären.
We apparently misunderstood each other; let's clarify it once more.
to understand
'verstehen' and 'missverstehen' are opposites. 'verstehen' means that you correctly recognize the meaning of a statement, action, or situation. 'missverstehen' means that you interpret it incorrectly. Learners may confuse the words because 'missverstehen' does not simply mean 'not understand'. If you do not hear something at all or do not recognize any meaning at all, you are more likely to say 'nicht verstehen' (not understand). If you think you have understood it, but the meaning is wrong, you say 'missverstehen'.
Bitte missversteh mich nicht, ich wollte dich nur warnen.
Please don't misunderstand me; I only wanted to warn you.
Der Arzt versteht sofort, warum der Patient heute einen Termin braucht.
The doctor immediately understands why the patient needs an appointment today.