Kennenlernen Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of kennenlernen — “to get to know, to meet” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for kennenlernen, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “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.
Present Tense conjugation of kennenlernen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for kennenlernen. kennenlernen is irregular in the present, so learn the forms in the table as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive.
Present (Präsens) — kennenlernen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lerne kennen |
| du | lernst kennen |
| er/sie/es | lernt kennen |
| wir | lernen kennen |
| ihr | lernt kennen |
| sie/Sie | lernen kennen |
The present participle of kennenlernen is kennenlernend and the past participle is kennengelernt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of kennenlernen is formed
The present tense of kennenlernen does not follow the regular pattern, so the stem-and-endings description is only a starting point: ich → lerne kennen, du → lernst kennen, er/sie/es → lernt kennen, wir → lernen kennen, ihr → lernt kennen, sie/Sie → lernen kennen. Learn these six forms as a set — they are the forms you will use most often, and the subjunctive and imperative are built on them. kennenlernen is separable: the prefix kennen splits off in the present tense and goes to the end of the clause — “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”. In the infinitive and the participle the prefix stays attached (kennenlernen, kennengelernt).
When to use the present tense of kennenlernen
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with kennenlernen: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I get to know my neighbours in the park.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with kennenlernen: “Du lernst meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “You get to know my neighbours in the park.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with kennenlernen: “Er lernt meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “He gets to know my neighbours in the park.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with kennenlernen: “Wir lernen meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “We get to know my neighbours in the park.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with kennenlernen: “Sie lernen meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “They get to know my neighbours in the park.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: kennenlernen now, kennenlernen later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “I get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Future: “Ich werde meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernen.” — “I will get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Present: “Du lernst meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “You get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Future: “Du wirst meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernen.” — “You will get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Present: “Wir lernen meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “We get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Future: “Wir werden meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernen.” — “We will get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Example sentences: kennenlernen in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of kennenlernen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “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.”
- “Wir lernen meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “We get to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Ihr lernt meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “You get to know my neighbours in the park.”
- “Sie lernen meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.” — “They get to know my neighbours in the park.”
Common mistakes with kennenlernen in the present tense
1. 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 the present tense the prefix kennen goes to the end of the clause.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du lerne kennen meine Nachbarn im Park.”
✓ Right: “Du lernst meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”
After du you need lernst kennen, not the ich form lerne kennen. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde meine Nachbarn im Park kennenlernen.”
✓ Right: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (lerne kennen), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich lernte meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”
✓ Right: “Ich lerne meine Nachbarn im Park kennen.”
Something happening right now takes the present (lerne kennen), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: kennenlernen in the present tense
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 du form of kennenlernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lernen kennen
- B) lernt kennen
- C) lernst kennen
- D) lerne kennen
What is the er/sie/es form of kennenlernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lernst kennen
- B) lerne kennen
- C) lernen kennen
- D) lernt kennen
What is the wir form of kennenlernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lernt kennen
- B) lernen kennen
- C) lerne kennen
- D) lernst kennen
What is the ihr form of kennenlernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lerne kennen
- B) lernen kennen
- C) lernt kennen
- D) lernst kennen
What is the sie/Sie form of kennenlernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lerne kennen
- B) lernst kennen
- C) lernen kennen
- D) lernt kennen
What is the past participle of kennenlernen?
- A) lernte kennen
- B) kennengelernt
- C) lerne kennen
- D) kennenlernend
Which auxiliary does kennenlernen take in the Perfekt?
- A) sein
- B) haben
- C) werden
Answer key
- B) lerne kennen — the ich form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lerne kennen.
- C) lernst kennen — the du form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lernst kennen.
- D) lernt kennen — the er/sie/es form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lernt kennen.
- B) lernen kennen — the wir form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lernen kennen.
- C) lernt kennen — the ihr form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lernt kennen.
- C) lernen kennen — the sie/Sie form of kennenlernen in the present tense is lernen kennen.
- B) kennengelernt — the past participle of kennenlernen is kennengelernt; the Perfekt uses haben + kennengelernt.
- B) haben — kennenlernen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe kennengelernt.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of kennenlernen formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → lerne kennen, du → lernst kennen, er/sie/es → lernt kennen, wir → lernen kennen, ihr → lernt kennen, sie/Sie → lernen kennen. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is kennenlernen regular in the present tense?
No — kennenlernen is irregular in the present tense, so learn the table above as a set. The other tenses are listed on the full conjugation page.
What is the past participle of kennenlernen?
The past participle is kennengelernt. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe kennengelernt, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte kennengelernt.
Related pages
- kennenlernen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- kennenlernen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- 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.