znám

Znám is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Czech verb znát, meaning "to know" in the sense of being familiar with or acquainted with someone or something. It is a common word in everyday speech and appears in a wide range of contexts, from personal acquaintances to familiarity with places, works, or topics.

Etymology and cognates: Znát derives from Proto-Slavic znati, a root that appears in many Slavic languages. Cognates include Polish znać (to know) and Russian znat' (to know). The verb is part of a broader semantic field distinguishing familiarity or acquaintance (znát) from knowledge of facts (vědět).

Conjugation and usage: In the present tense, the forms are: já znám, ty znáš, on/ona zná, my známe, vy znáte, oni znají. The negative form is neznám, as in Neznám jeho jméno. Znát is often contrasted with vědět, where znát expresses personal familiarity or acquaintance, and vědět expresses factual knowledge. For example, Znám ten film, but Nevěděl jsem, že se to stalo, though Věděl jsem odpověď would be more typical for knowing a fact.

Common expressions and notes: Znám is frequently used with direct objects denoting people, places, works, or information you are familiar with (Znám tu písničku; Znám ten hotel). The adjective známy/známá (known, famous) is related and widely used to describe someone or something well recognized.

See also: znát (verb), známost (familiarity), známy (known, famed), related Slavic cognates.