знае да

Knowing How to Do Something

Level 2Sounds Like znae da

Знам да возам. means I know how to drive. Знае + да + a present verb talks about a learned skill.

How It Works

Знае means know. Followed by да and a present verb, it means know how to:

  • Знам да возам. — I know how to drive.
  • Таа знае да готви. — She knows how to cook.
  • Децата веќе знаат да читаат. — The children already know how to read.

Forms: знам, знаеш, знае, знаеме, знаете, знаат. (Знаам is also heard for I know.) The second verb takes the same person ending: знам да возам, знаеш да возиш.

Negatives and questions: Не знам да скијам. · Знаеш ли да играш шах?

знае да or може да? Знае да is about a skill you have learned. Може да is about being able to right now. So you can say: Знам да пливам, но денес не можам. (I know how to swim, but I can't today.)

Without да, знае takes a noun: Знае три јазици. (She knows three languages.) Later you will meet another use, where знае да describes what someone tends to do: знае да за навика.

Examples (6)

  1. Знам да возам.

    I know how to drive.

    Word by Word: I-know that I-drive.

  2. Таа знае да готви.

    She knows how to cook.

    Word by Word: She knows that she-cooks.

  3. Знаеш ли да играш шах?

    Do you know how to play chess?

    Word by Word: You-know question that you-play chess?

  4. Не знам да скијам.

    I don't know how to ski.

    Word by Word: Not I-know that I-ski.

  5. Децата веќе знаат да читаат.

    The children already know how to read.

    Word by Word: The-children already know that they-read.

  6. Знам да пливам, но денес не можам.

    I know how to swim, but I can't today.

    Word by Word: I-know that I-swim, but today not I-can.

    Знам да is the skill; не можам is today's situation.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out да.

    Знам возам.
    Знам да возам.

    Да links знае to the skill, just as it does after сака and може.

  • Using the Serbian verb ending.

    Знам да возим.
    Знам да возам.

    The Macedonian "I" ending of вози is -ам: возам. Возим is Serbian.

How It Connects

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

знае даLevel 2Knowing How to Do Something

Learn This First

Knowing how follows the modal verbs.

Words in This Pattern

знае