What is the difference between "I believe that you..." and "I understand that you..."?

Question

I'm not a native english speaker and I need to ask a question to an englishman about something that I think he's been working on.So I plan to use a sentence like: "I believe that you're working on this..." or "I understand that you're working on this...".
Which one is correct and/or closer to the meaning of my request ?
Thanks.

thieupepijn · Accepted Answer

By using I "I believe that you ..." you can state some opinion about this person, which he/she can deny but you nevertheless still hold for true. For example "I believe you are unconsciously still in love with her".
By using "I understand that you .." you are merely asking if something is true or not.
So the sentence "I understand you are working on this .." is more appropriate in your situation.

What is the difference between "I believe that you..." and "I understand that you..."?

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