gjenkjenner

Gjenkjenner is the present tense form of the Norwegian verb å gjenkjenne, meaning to recognize or identify someone or something as previously known or encountered. The term is used in everyday speech as well as in more formal writing, and it covers recognition of people, voices, smells, objects, or abstract patterns.

Etymology and forms: gjenkjenne is built from the prefix gjen- meaning “again” or “back” and kjenne meaning “to know” or “to feel.” The infinitive is å gjenkjenne; present tense is gjenkjenner (3rd person singular and plural), past tense is gjenkjente, and the past participle is gjenkjent. The present perfect is formed with har gjenkjent.

Usage and nuances: In ordinary Norwegian, speakers may also use kjenne igjen to express recognizing someone after a long absence, sometimes with a slightly different nuance from gjenkjenne. Both can apply to people, voices, smells, or signals. In technical contexts, gjenkjenne is common in phrases such as ansiktsgjenkjenning (facial recognition) or mønster gjenkjenne (pattern recognition). Related terms include gjenkjennelse (recognition) and kjennelse (perception or recognition). When choosing synonyms, atisi like identifisere may be used in formal identification contexts.

Examples: Hun gjenkjenner stemmen hans umiddelbart. Datamaskinen kan gjenkjenne ansikter. These usages illustrate both everyday recognition and technical applications of the concept.

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