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Illustration of the A1 German word “kennen”, which translates to “to know (person)”. A penguin waddling through a crowd of identical penguins suddenly beams, recognizing one old friend who glows with warm golden light.
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kennen

to know (person)

/ˈkɛnən/

Conjugation

Principal parts

kennen, kannte, hat gekannt

ich kenne
du kennst
er/sie/es kennt
wir kennen
ihr kennt
sie/Sie kennen

Practice "kennen"

Examples — kennen in a sentence

Ich kenne diesen Mann nicht.

I don't know this man.

Kennst du meine Schwester Lena?

Do you know my sister Lena?

How to remember it

"Kennen" — know someone personally.

Word family

kennen family · 11 related words

  • anerkennen recognize / acknowledge Shifted meaning
  • bekennen Coming soon to confess, to profess Not predictable
  • erkennen to recognize Shifted meaning
  • kennenlernen to get to know Shifted meaning
  • verkennen Coming soon to misjudge Not predictable
  • wiedererkennen recognize again
  • die Kenntnis knowledge
  • bekannt known / familiar Shifted meaning
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More A1 words

Illustration of the B1 German word “die Kenntnis”, which translates to “knowledge”. A single labelled fact glows in a jar on a shelf, dusted and cared for like a prize specimen.
die Kenntnis

/ˈkɛntnɪs/

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knowledge

Examples

Ich nehme das zur Kenntnis.

I take note of that.

Gute Kenntnis der Regeln ist wichtig.

Good knowledge of the rules is important.

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Illustration of the B1 German word “die Kenntnisse”, which translates to “skills / knowledge”. A tool belt where each pouch holds a different glowing skill-badge, worn proudly by a craftsperson.
die Kenntnisse

/ˈkɛntnɪsə/

skills / knowledge

Examples

Er hat gute Deutschkenntnisse.

He has a good knowledge of German.

Ihre Kenntnisse sind beeindruckend.

Her skills are impressive.

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Illustration of the A2 German word “klingen”, which translates to “to sound”. A round little songbird throws its head back and belts out a note so powerful that glowing golden sound-rings ripple outward and rattle every leaf around it.
klingen

/ˈklɪŋən/

to sound

Principal parts

klingen, klang, hat geklungen

ich klinge
du klingst
er/sie/es klingt
wir klingen
ihr klingt
sie/Sie klingen

Examples

Das Telefon klingelt.

The telephone is ringing.

Es klang wie Musik.

It sounded like music.

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Illustration of the B1 German word “kneifen”, which translates to “to pinch”. An enormous crab pinches the seat of a fisherman's trousers; the man leaps a metre into the air, hat flying, face frozen in a perfect howl of surprise.
kneifen

/ˈknaɪ̯fn̩/

to pinch

Principal parts

kneifen, kniff, hat gekniffen

ich kneife
du kneifst
er/sie/es kneift
wir kneifen
ihr kneift
sie/Sie kneifen

Examples

Sie kneift mich in den Arm.

She pinches my arm.

Er kniff die Augen zusammen.

He squinted his eyes.

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Illustration of the B1 German word “kriechen”, which translates to “to crawl”. A massive, fuzzy caterpillar crawls slowly up the side of the moon.
kriechen

/ˈkʁiːçn̩/

to crawl

Principal parts

kriechen, kroch, ist gekrochen

ich krieche
du kriechst
er/sie/es kriecht
wir kriechen
ihr kriecht
sie/Sie kriechen

Examples

Die Schnecke kriecht langsam.

The snail crawls slowly.

Das Baby kroch unter den Tisch.

The baby crawled under the table.

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Illustration of the A1 German word “lachen”, which translates to “to laugh”. A pufferfish bursts out laughing underwater, confetti-colored bubbles exploding from it in every direction.
lachen

/ˈlaxn̩/

to laugh

Principal parts

lachen, lachte, hat gelacht

ich lache
du lachst
er/sie/es lacht
wir lachen
ihr lacht
sie/Sie lachen

Examples

Wir lachen oft über Witze.

We often laugh about jokes.

Das Kind lacht sehr laut.

The child laughs very loudly.

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feminine Kenntnis — knowledge

KenntnisKenntnisseklingenkneifenkriechenlachenAll German word pages

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