Languages › German German Verbs - Kennen - to Know Conjugations for All Tenses and Sample Sentences Share Flipboard Email Print Hero Images/Getty Images German Grammar History & Culture Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary By Hyde Flippo Hyde Flippo German Expert Hyde Flippo taught the German language for 28 years at high school and college levels and published several books on the German language and culture. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 30, 2019 Kennen is an irregular German verb that means "to know." German has two different verbs that can correspond to the single English verb "to know," as does Spanish, Italian and French. German makes a distinction between knowing or being familiar with a person or thing (kennen) and knowing a fact (wissen). In German, kennen means "to know, be familiar with" and wissen means "to know a fact, know when/how." German-speakers always know (wissen) when to use which one. If they are talking about knowing a person or being familar with something, they will use kennen. If they are talking about knowing a fact or knowing when something will happen, they'll use wissen. There are also possible 'thing' objects of kennen:Ich kenne... das Buch, den Film, das Lied, die Gruppe, den Schauspieler, die Stadt, usw.I know (am familiar with)... the book, the movie, the song, the group, the actor, the city, etc. The verb kennen is a so-called "mixed" verb. That is to say, the infinitive's stem vowel e changes to a in the past tense (kannte) and the past participle (gekannt). It is called "mixed" because this form of conjugation reflects some traits of a regular verb (e.g., normal present tense endings and a ge- past participle with a -t ending) and some traits of a strong or irregular verb (e.g., a stem-vowel change in the past and past participle). How to Conjugate the German Verb Kennen (to Know) In the following chart you will find the conjugation of the irregular German verb kennen (to know). This verb chart uses the new German spelling (die neue Rechtschreibung). PRÄSENS(Present) PRÄTERITUM(Preterite/Past) PERFEKT(Present Perfect) Singular ich kenne (ihn)I know (him) ich kannteI knew ich habe gekanntI knew, have known du kennstyou know du kanntestyou knew du hast gekanntyou knew, have known er/sie kennthe/she knows er/sie kanntehe/she knew er/sie hat gekannthe/she knew, has known Plural wir/Sie*/sie kennenwe/you/they know wir/Sie*/sie kanntenwe/you/they knew wir/Sie*/sie haben gekanntwe/you/they knew, have known ihr kenntyou (pl.) know ihr kanntetyou (pl.) knew ihr habt gekanntyou (pl.) knew, have known * Although "Sie" (formal "you") is always conjugated as a plural verb, it can refer to one or more persons. Plusquamperfekt(Past Perfect) Futur(Future) Singular ich hatte gekanntI had known ich werde kennenI will know du hattest gekanntyou had know du wirst kennenyou knew er/sie hatte gekannthe/she had known er/sie wird kennenhe/she will know Plural wir/Sie*/sie hatten gekanntwe/you/they had known wir/Sie*/sie werden kennenwe/you/they will know ihr hattet gekanntyou (pl.) had known ihr werdet kennenyou (pl.) will know Konditional(Conditional) Konjunktiv(Subjunctive) ich/er würde kennenI/he would know ich/er kennteI/he would know wir/sie würden kennenwe/they would know wir/sie kenntenwe/they would know Sample Sentences and Idioms with Kennen Er kennt mich nicht.He doesn't know me. Ich habe sie gar nicht gekannt.I didn't know her at all. Ich kenne ihn nur vom Ansehen.I only know him by sight. Sie kennt mich nur dem Namen nach.She only knows me by name. Ich kenne Anna schon seit Jahren.I've known Anna for years. Kennst du ihn/sie?Do you know him/her? Den Film kenne ich nicht.I don't know that film. Das kenne ich schon.I've heard that (all/one) before. Das kennen wir hier nicht.We don't put up with that here. Sie kennen keine Armut.They don't have/know any poverty. Wir kannten kein Mass.We went too far. / We overdid it. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Flippo, Hyde. "German Verbs - Kennen - to Know." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/german-verbs-kennen-to-know-4070844. Flippo, Hyde. (2023, April 5). German Verbs - Kennen - to Know. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/german-verbs-kennen-to-know-4070844 Flippo, Hyde. "German Verbs - Kennen - to Know." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/german-verbs-kennen-to-know-4070844 (accessed June 9, 2023). copy citation Featured Video By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies