wissen / kennen

Wissen vs. Kennen

Level 2

Wissen = Factual knowledge (knowing that something is true).
Kennen = Familiarity (knowing who or what something is through experience).

How It Works

In German, the English verb 'to know' is split into two distinct concepts:

1. Wissen (Factual Knowledge)
Use wissen when you possess a piece of information or a fact. It is often used with:

  • Subordinate clauses starting with dass (that), ob (if/whether), or question words like wann (when) or wo (where).
  • Neutral pronouns like es, das, etwas, or nichts.

Morphology: It is an irregular verb. In the present tense, the 1st and 3rd person singular are the same: ich weiß, er/sie/es weiß (no -t ending).

2. Kennen (Familiarity/Acquaintance)
Use kennen when you are familiar with a person, a place, a book, or a brand. It requires a direct object in the accusative case. If you can replace 'know' with 'be acquainted with,' use kennen.

3. The Overlap
For words like die Antwort (the answer) or den Weg (the way), both can be used with a slight shift: Ich weiß die Antwort implies you have the data; Ich kenne die Antwort implies you recognize it or have heard it before.

Examples (5)

  1. Ich weiß, dass du heute kommst.

    I know that you are coming today.

    Word by Word: I know, that you today come.

    Use 'wissen' here because it refers to a fact introduced by a 'dass' clause.

  2. Kennst du diesen Film?

    Do you know this movie?

    Word by Word: Know you this movie?

    Use 'kennen' because it refers to familiarity with a specific thing (a movie).

  3. Er weiß nicht, wo der Bahnhof ist.

    He doesn't know where the train station is.

    Word by Word: He knows not, where the train station is.

    Use 'wissen' for information regarding a location (a 'wo' clause).

  4. Ich kenne Berlin sehr gut.

    I know Berlin very well.

    Word by Word: I know Berlin very well.

    Use 'kennen' for familiarity with a city/place.

  5. Wir kennen den neuen Lehrer noch nicht.

    We don't know the new teacher yet.

    Word by Word: We know the new teacher yet not.

    Use 'kennen' for being acquainted with a person.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'wissen' for people.

    Ich weiß ihn gut.
    Ich kenne ihn gut.

    You cannot 'factually know' a person; you must be 'familiar' with them. Always use 'kennen' for people.

  • Using 'kennen' with a 'dass' clause.

    Ich kenne, dass er müde ist.
    Ich weiß, dass er müde ist.

    'Kennen' must take a direct noun/pronoun object. It cannot introduce a subordinate clause.

  • Using 'wissen' for skills or languages.

    Ich weiß Deutsch.
    Ich kann Deutsch.

    For abilities and languages, use the modal verb 'können' instead of 'wissen' or 'kennen'.

Words in This Pattern

kennen