why used "simple present" instead of "simple past" or "present perfect"

Question

I didn't understand. Why did they use "simple present" instead of "present perfect" in this "Although I do not understand much yet"?. The Paragraph is below.

Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything is so different, and I am trying to adapt to the new way of life here. I am learning a little bit of the language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I don't learn foreign languages quickly. Although I do not understand much yet, I believe that I am gradually improving.

I thought he was trying to learn language from when she arrived there to now (so why not use the present perfect)?

Answer 1

The author is describing his or her current state of mind, rather than an ongoing process. In this way it's similar to other expressions of state, such as:

The ocean is calm today.

The wind blows gently through the open door.

I finally get what my father told me long ago.

In English "understanding" is usually expressed as a state of mind, rather than an ongoing process. It is possible to use the present perfect "have understood" but usually in a conditional, and/or in relation to some other event.

If I have understood you correctly, you want to travel to Nepal.

Now that I have understood how he plays the game, I think I can beat him.

If you want to talk about the process of learning, from some time in the past until the present, you can use the expression "come to understand":

Although I have come to understand much of the language since I arrived, I'm far from fluent.

Again, since "understand" is an expression of state, the simple past does not work for something you still understand. Instead us it to describe something you did understand in the past:

When I lived there, I understood much of the language, but sadly I've forgotten most of it.