German Verbs Wissen and Kennen
How to Conjugate and Use the Two German Verbs for "to Know"
Feb 24, 2009
The German language gets very specific when it comes to verbs. For instance, there are at least three different possible verbs that can be used simply to describe setting an object on a table! The two verbs wissen and kennen are used to express the English equivalent, "to know" but have different meanings in German. Wissen and kennen are just two more verbs to add to a list of useful vocabulary.
Conjugating the Two Verbs
Before learning how to use wissen and kennen in context, it is important to learn how to conjugate the two verbs in the present tense:
- wissen (to know facts, information etc.): ich weiss, du weisst, er/sie/es weiss, wir wissen, ihr wisst, sie/Sie wissen
- kennen (to know a person, to be familiar with): ich kenne, du kennst, er/sie/es kennt, wir kennen, ihr kennt, sie/Sie kennen
As a side note, remember that the double "s" in German is often replaced with the "ß," causing a word like weisst to be written as weißt.
How to Use and Distinguish the Verbs
Here are examples of usage:
- Ich weiss nicht, wie spät es ist. ("I don't know what time it is/how late it is.")
- Ich kenne diese Stadt. ("I'm familiar with this city.")
And here is a more complicated distinction:
- Ich weiss, wer er ist. ("I know who he is.") vs Ich kenne ihn. ("I know him.")
Note the differences within the last set of sentences in the examples above. The sentence "Ich weiss, wer er ist" ("I know who he is") can be interpreted as another way to say "Ich kenne ihn" ("I know him"). Both sentences could indicate being aware that a person exists.
But the difference here is that the first sentence could also mean that the speaker simply knows of the person and does not necessarily know him personally. The second sentence, "Ich kenne ihn," indicates specifically that the speaker knows "him" ("ihn") personally.
Alternatively, the sentence could indicate that the speaker has merely heard of the person. The sort of context in which that meaning of the word would be used is if a speaker is referring to someone like a celebrity or other well-known person that he or she clearly does not know personally.
Further Explanation of wissen vs. kennen
Confusing? Yes, but the easiest and simplest way to distinguish the verbs is to remember the following: Wissen means to know facts, but kennen means to know someone personally, or to know of someone or something. In other words, "Ich weiß ihn," and "Ich kenne nicht, wie spät es ist" are incorrect.
Knowing the differences between these two verbs, and how to use them properly, will help improve conversation skills...and save confusion when communicating with native speakers.
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