znít

Znát is a Czech verb meaning to know or be familiar with someone or something. It covers a sense of acquaintance or familiarity gained through experience, as opposed to knowing a fact. The verb is used with people, places, languages, rules, works of art and other entities. It often contrasts with vědět, which is used for factual knowledge, and with poznat, which can imply meeting someone for the first time or recognizing someone.

Conjugation and use. Znát is imperfective. Present tense: já znám, ty znáš, on/ona/ono zná, my známe, vy znáte, oni znají. For example: Znám ten film. Znáš tu ženu? Tohle mě znám z dětství. The past tense forms are typically znala/znal/znalo (singular) and znali/znaly (plural), e.g., Znal jsem ji od dětství. The passive-reflexive form znát se means to know each other: Oni se znají od školy.

Distinctions and related terms. Vědět refers to factual knowledge or information (vědět pravdu, vědět odpověď). Poznat is often used for meeting someone and getting to know them or for recognizing someone or something (Poznal jsem pána, Poznala tvůj hlas). Znát emphasizes ongoing familiarity or competence (znát jazyk, znát město). Common collocations include znát pravidla hry, znát řeč/jazyk, znát člověka.

Etymology. Znát comes from Proto-Slavic znati, with cognates in other Slavic languages (znat’ in Russian, znać in Polish, znati in Serbo-Croatian). Its development parallels the broad Slavic verb family denoting knowledge and acquaintance.

See also. Czech verbs of knowledge, comparison with vědět and poznat, reflexive znát se.