Kennenlernen Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German
How do you actually use kennenlernen — “to get to know, to meet” — in a real sentence? This page shows you: twelve example sentences across the tenses, a short dialogue, the mistakes learners make most often with this verb, and a quiz to test yourself. Every German form on this page comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for kennenlernen. Start with the simplest sentence: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for kennenlernen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Kennenlernen in real sentences
Twelve sentences with kennenlernen, covering the present, the Präteritum, the Perfekt, the Plusquamperfekt, the future, Konjunktiv I and II, and the imperative. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I get to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Du lernst meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “You get to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Er lernt meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “He gets to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Ich lernte meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I got to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Wir lernten meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “We got to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Ich habe meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt.” — “I have got to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Du hast meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt.” — “You have got to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Ich hatte meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt.” — “I had got to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Wir werden meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernen.” — “We will get to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Ich werde meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt haben.” — “I will have got to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass ich meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlerne.” — “It is important that I get to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Ich lernte meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I would get to know my neighbours in the park if I could.”
- “Ich hätte meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt.” — “I would have got to know my neighbours in the park if I had been able to.”
- “Lern meine Nachbarn im Park kennen!” — “Get to know my neighbours in the park!”
A short dialogue with kennenlernen
Anna and Ben talk about their plans. Every form of kennenlernen in the dialogue comes from the verified tables — read it aloud, changing the person each time.
Anna: “Du lernst meine Nachbarn im Park kennen?” — “You get to know my neighbours in the park?”
Ben: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Anna: “Du hast meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt?” — “You have got to know my neighbours in the park?”
Ben: “Ich habe meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt.” — “I have got to know my neighbours in the park.”
Anna: “Du wirst meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernen?” — “You will get to know my neighbours in the park?”
Ben: “Ich werde meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernen.” — “I will get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Anna: “Lern meine Nachbarn im Park kennen!” — “Get to know my neighbours in the park!”
Ben: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Notice how the verb changes with the person and the tense while the meaning stays the same: lerne kennen, lernst kennen, habe kennengelernt, werde kennenlernen. If you can follow this dialogue without looking at the tables, you know kennenlernen well enough to use it.
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich kennenlernen meine Nachbarn im Park.”
✓ Right: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”
The infinitive kennenlernen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form lerne kennen.
2. Confusing kennenlernen with treffen
✗ Wrong: “Ich treffen meine Nachbarn im Park.” (using the wrong verb)
✓ Right: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”
kennenlernen means “to get to know, to meet”; treffen means “to meet”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Forgetting to split the separable prefix
✗ Wrong: “Ich kennenlernen meine Nachbarn im Park.” (prefix left attached to the stem)
✓ Right: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”
kennenlernen is separable: in finite forms the prefix kennen goes to the end of the clause — lerne kennen — and the participle keeps it attached with ge- in between (kennengelernt).
4. Using the indicative after a Konjunktiv I trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernst.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernest.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use lernest kennen here, not the indicative lernst kennen.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the ich form of kennenlernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lernt kennen
- B) lerne kennen
- C) lernen kennen
- D) lernst kennen
What is the er/sie/es form of kennenlernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lernen kennen
- B) lerne kennen
- C) lernst kennen
- D) lernt kennen
What is the du form of kennenlernen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) lernten kennen
- B) lernte kennen
- C) lerntest kennen
- D) lerntet kennen
What is the wir form of kennenlernen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe kennengelernt
- B) haben kennengelernt
- C) habt kennengelernt
- D) hat kennengelernt
What is the ich form of kennenlernen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wird kennenlernen
- B) werde kennenlernen
- C) wirst kennenlernen
- D) werdet kennenlernen
What is the du form of kennenlernen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) lerntest kennen
- B) lernten kennen
- C) lerntet kennen
- D) lernte kennen
What is the ich form of kennenlernen in the Conditional perfect?
- A) hätten kennengelernt
- B) hättest kennengelernt
- C) hätte kennengelernt
- D) hättet kennengelernt
What is the past participle of kennenlernen?
- A) kennenlernend
- B) kennengelernt
- C) lernte kennen
- D) lerne kennen
What is the present participle of kennenlernen?
- A) kennengelernt
- B) kennenlernend
- C) werde kennenlernen
- D) lerne kennen
What does kennenlernen mean in English?
- A) to get to know, to meet
- B) to meet
- C) to do
- D) to come
Answer key
- B) lerne kennen — the ich form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lerne kennen.
- D) lernt kennen — the er/sie/es form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lernt kennen.
- C) lerntest kennen — the du form of kennenlernen in the preterite is lerntest kennen.
- B) haben kennengelernt — the wir form of kennenlernen in the Perfekt is haben kennengelernt.
- B) werde kennenlernen — the ich form of kennenlernen in the Futur I is werde kennenlernen.
- A) lerntest kennen — the du form of kennenlernen in the Konjunktiv II is lerntest kennen.
- C) hätte kennengelernt — the ich form of kennenlernen in the conditional perfect is hätte kennengelernt.
- B) kennengelernt — the past participle of kennenlernen is kennengelernt; perfect tenses use haben + kennengelernt.
- B) kennenlernend — the present participle of kennenlernen is kennenlernend.
- A) to get to know, to meet — kennenlernen means “to get to know, to meet” in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does kennenlernen mean in English?
kennenlernen means “to get to know, to meet”. The examples above show it in everyday situations — for example, “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” (“I get to know my neighbours in the park.”).
Is kennenlernen regular or irregular?
kennenlernen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The full tables are on the conjugation page.
How do I use kennenlernen in the Perfekt?
Use haben + the past participle kennengelernt: “Ich habe meine Nachbarn im Park kennengelernt.” — “I have got to know my neighbours in the park.” The full Perfekt table is on the conjugation page.
Related pages
- kennenlernen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- kennenlernen in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in one tense.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise kennenlernen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise kennenlernen with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.