Kennen Conjugation in German
kennen means “to know” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 284 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich kenne Marie seit Langem.” — “I know Marie for a long time.” — and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of kennen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: kennen
- English: to know
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): kennend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gekannt
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: mixed in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for kennen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read kennen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about kennen
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gekannt. The tables on this page give the participle in the form exactly as it appears in the verified dump; the participle itself does not change for person, only the auxiliary does.
- The participles are kennend and gekannt: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for kennen. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the preterite, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | kenne |
| du | kennst |
| er/sie/es | kennt |
| wir | kennen |
| ihr | kennt |
| sie/Sie | kennen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With kennen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich kenne Berlin sehr gut.” — “I know Berlin very well.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | kannte |
| du | kanntest |
| er/sie/es | kannte |
| wir | kannten |
| ihr | kanntet |
| sie/Sie | kannten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With kennen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du kanntest Berlin sehr gut.” — “You knew Berlin very well.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gekannt |
| du | hast gekannt |
| er/sie/es | hat gekannt |
| wir | haben gekannt |
| ihr | habt gekannt |
| sie/Sie | haben gekannt |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat Berlin sehr gut gekannt.” — “He has known Berlin very well.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gekannt |
| du | hattest gekannt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gekannt |
| wir | hatten gekannt |
| ihr | hattet gekannt |
| sie/Sie | hatten gekannt |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte Berlin sehr gut gekannt.” — “I had known Berlin very well.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde kennen |
| du | wirst kennen |
| er/sie/es | wird kennen |
| wir | werden kennen |
| ihr | werdet kennen |
| sie/Sie | werden kennen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde Berlin sehr gut kennen.” — “I will know Berlin very well.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gekannt haben |
| du | wirst gekannt haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gekannt haben |
| wir | werden gekannt haben |
| ihr | werdet gekannt haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gekannt haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst Berlin sehr gut gekannt haben.” — “You will have known Berlin very well.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | kenne |
| du | kennest |
| er/sie/es | kenne |
| wir | kennen |
| ihr | kennet |
| sie/Sie | kennen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er kenne Berlin sehr gut.” — “He knows Berlin very well.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | kennte |
| du | kenntest |
| er/sie/es | kennte |
| wir | kennten |
| ihr | kenntet |
| sie/Sie | kennten |
Konjunktiv II is used for hypothetical situations, wishes and polite requests. It doubles as the German conditional: there is no separate conditional tense, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not an engine tense. For example: “Ich kennte Berlin sehr gut.” — “I would know Berlin very well.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gekannt |
| du | hättest gekannt |
| er/sie/es | hätte gekannt |
| wir | hätten gekannt |
| ihr | hättet gekannt |
| sie/Sie | hätten gekannt |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte Berlin sehr gut gekannt.” — “He would have known Berlin very well.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | kenn |
| wir | kennen |
| ihr | kennt |
| sie/Sie | kennen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With kennen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Kenn Berlin sehr gut!” — “Know Berlin very well!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | kennend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle kennend is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle (Partizip II) | gekannt |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe Marie seit Langem gekannt.” — “I have known Marie for a long time.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | kennen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive. The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb: it is the form you look up, and the form that follows modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with kennen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich kenne Marie seit Langem.” — “I know Marie for a long time.”
- “Du kanntest Berlin sehr gut.” — “You knew Berlin very well.”
- “Er hat ein gutes Restaurant hier gekannt.” — “He has known a good restaurant here.”
- “Ich werde Marie seit Langem kennen.” — “I will know Marie for a long time.”
- “Du kenntest Berlin sehr gut.” — “You would know Berlin very well.”
- “Ich hatte ein gutes Restaurant hier gekannt.” — “I had known a good restaurant here.”
- “Du wirst Berlin sehr gut gekannt haben.” — “You will have known Berlin very well.”
- “Er kenne ein gutes Restaurant hier.” — “He knows a good restaurant here.”
- “Ich hätte Marie seit Langem gekannt.” — “I would have known Marie for a long time.”
- “Kenn Marie seit Langem!” — “Know Marie for a long time!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich kennen Marie seit Langem.”
✓ Right: “Ich kenne Marie seit Langem.”
The infinitive kennen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form kenne.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich kennen Marie seit Langem.”
✓ Right: “Ich kenne Marie seit Langem.”
kennen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with kenne.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich kenne Marie seit Langem gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe Marie seit Langem gekannt.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gekannt, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin Marie seit Langem gekannt.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe Marie seit Langem gekannt.”
The Perfekt of kennen is formed with haben plus the past participle gekannt: the ich form is habe gekannt. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the preterite where spoken German prefers the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich kannte Marie seit Langem gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe Marie seit Langem gekannt.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gekannt is the usual past tense. The preterite kannte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Kenn Marie seit Langem!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Kennt Marie seit Langem!”
The du imperative kenn is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form kennt.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on kennen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of kennen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) kennst
- B) kennt
- C) kennen
- D) kenne
What is the er/sie/es form of kennen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) kanntest
- B) kannten
- C) kanntet
- D) kannte
What is the er/sie/es form of kennen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe gekannt
- B) hast gekannt
- C) haben gekannt
- D) hat gekannt
What is the du form of kennen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst kennen
- B) werde kennen
- C) wird kennen
- D) werden kennen
What is the ich form of kennen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) kenntest
- B) kennten
- C) kenntet
- D) kennte
What is the wir form of kennen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten gekannt
- B) hatte gekannt
- C) hattest gekannt
- D) hattet gekannt
What is the er/sie/es form of kennen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) kennest
- B) kennen
- C) kennet
- D) kenne
What is the du form of kennen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) kenn
- B) kennen
- C) kennt
- D) kennst
What is the past participle of kennen?
- A) gekannt
- B) geliebt
- C) gehasst
- D) gebraucht
What does kennen mean in English?
- A) to hate
- B) to need
- C) to know
- D) to love
Answer key
- D) kenne — the ich form of kennen in the Present (Präsens) is kenne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) kannte — the er/sie/es form of kennen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is kannte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat gekannt — the er/sie/es form of kennen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gekannt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst kennen — the du form of kennen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst kennen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) kennte — the ich form of kennen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is kennte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten gekannt — the wir form of kennen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gekannt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) kenne — the er/sie/es form of kennen in the Konjunktiv I is kenne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) kenn — the du form of kennen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is kenn. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) gekannt — the past participle of kennen is gekannt; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to know — kennen means “to know” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does kennen mean in English?
kennen means “to know”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is kennen regular or irregular?
kennen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is kennend and the past participle is gekannt.
What are the participles of kennen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is kennend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gekannt — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gekannt.
Which auxiliary does kennen take in the Perfekt?
kennen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gekannt. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gekannt.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form kennte is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect hätte gekannt covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I know Marie for a long time” in German?
Say “Ich kenne Marie seit Langem.” — “I know Marie for a long time.” The ich form of the present is kenne, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of kennen — every tense of kennen in one place.
- Kennen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Kennen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Lieben conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Hassen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Brauchen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise kennen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise kennen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise kennen with the interactive tool.