gekend

Gekend is the past participle of the Dutch verb kennen, meaning to know or to be acquainted with someone or something. It is used to form perfect tenses with the auxiliary hebben, for example Ik heb hem gekend (I have known him) or Wij hebben elkaar gekend (We have known each other).

In contemporary Dutch, speakers often prefer simpler constructions to express acquaintance. The present tense is kennelijk: Ik ken hem. The simple past is ik kende hem, and the present perfect is less common in everyday speech, with many contexts opting for leren kennen to convey the sense of getting to know someone, as in Ik heb hem leren kennen (I have gotten to know him).

Gekend is primarily a verbal participle and is not usually employed as a standalone adjective in the sense of “well known.” When describing fame or general recognition, the common Dutch adjective is bekend. The two terms are related etymologically, but kennen and bekend serve different grammatical roles in sentences.

Etymologically, gekend derives from the verb kennen, with the ge- prefix typical of the Dutch past participle formation. The word reflects a longstanding usage in the language to indicate prior knowledge or acquaintance, rather than current or newly established familiarity.

See also: kennen; leren kennen; bekend.