kenne

Kenne is the first-person singular present tense form of the German verb kennen, meaning to know or to be familiar with. It is used to express acquaintance with people, places, or things. For example, Ich kenne ihn means "I know him." The verb kenne denotes familiarity rather than factual knowledge, which is typically expressed with the verb wissen (to know a fact).

Conjugation in the present indicative: ich kenne, du kennst, er/sie/es kennt, wir kennen, ihr kennt, sie kennen.

Usage notes: kenne requires a direct object in the accusative case, as in Ich kenne ihn (I know him) or Ich kenne die Stadt (I know the city). The phrase Ich kenne mich aus means "I know my stuff" or "I am familiar with the subject." German distinguishes between knowing a person or thing personally (kennen) and knowing information or facts (wissen).

Etymology: Kennen belongs to the West Germanic family of verbs and is cognate with Dutch kennen and English know, reflecting a shared Proto-Germanic heritage that underlies related terms across Germanic languages.