weet / ken

Weet or Ken?

Level 2

Weet = know a fact: Ek weet waar hy woon. (I know where he lives.) Ken = know a person, place or thing: Ek ken hom. (I know him.)

How It Works

1. Weet: knowing information. Use weet when what you know could be said as a fact:

  • with a clause: Ek weet dat hy kom. (I know that he's coming.) Weet jy waar die stasie is? (Do you know where the station is?)
  • on its own: Ek weet. (I know.) Ek weet nie. (I don't know.)
  • with a word that stands for a fact: Ek weet die antwoord. (I know the answer.)
  • with van, to know about something: Weet jy van die partytjie? (Do you know about the party?)

2. Ken: being familiar. Use ken for people, places and things you have met, seen or learned:

  • people: Ken jy my broer? (Do you know my brother?)
  • places and routes: Ken jy Kaapstad? (Do you know Cape Town?) Sy ken die pad. (She knows the way.)
  • songs and languages: Ek ken die liedjie. (I know the song.) Hy ken drie tale. (He knows three languages.)

3. Getting to know someone. Say leer ken: Ek wil jou beter leer ken. (I want to get to know you better.)

4. Word order after weet. A clause with dat or a question word after weet sends its verb to the end: Waar is die stasie? becomes Weet jy waar die stasie is? (see indirect questions).

Tip: In Ek weet nie the first nie is already the last word, so one nie is enough (see double negation).

Examples (6)

  1. Ek weet waar hy woon.

    I know where he lives.

    Word by Word: I know where he lives.

    Where he lives is information, so the verb is weet.

  2. Ek ken hom al lank.

    I've known him for a long time.

    Word by Word: I know him already long.

    A person takes ken.

  3. Ken jy Kaapstad?

    Do you know Cape Town?

    Word by Word: Know you Cape Town?

  4. Weet jy of die winkel oop is?

    Do you know if the shop is open?

    Word by Word: Know you if the shop open is?

    An of clause is information, so weet is used, and is moves to the end.

  5. Sy ken drie tale.

    She knows three languages.

    Word by Word: She knows three languages.

    Languages take ken.

  6. Ek wil jou beter leer ken.

    I want to get to know you better.

    Word by Word: I want you better learn know.

Common Mistakes

  • Using weet for a person.

    Weet jy my broer?
    Ken jy my broer?

    Knowing a person means being familiar with them, so Afrikaans uses ken.

  • Using ken before a clause.

    Ek ken waar sy werk.
    Ek weet waar sy werk.

    Where she works is a piece of information, so it takes weet.

  • Using weet for a language.

    Ek weet Afrikaans.
    Ek ken Afrikaans.

    A language is something you are familiar with, so it takes ken. You can also say Ek praat Afrikaans.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

weet / kenLevel 2Weet or Ken?

Learn This First

Weet and ken both mean know, but one is for facts and one for people and places.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

weetken