Good to know. Separable verb: in Präsens and Präteritum the prefix 'kennen' jumps to the end of the sentence. In the Perfekt it stays on: kennengelernt.
kennenlernen in every tense
The three you'll use most are highlighted: Präsens for now, Perfekt for the past when you speak, Futur I for later.
Präsens
now
| ich | lerne kennenI get to know |
|---|---|
| du | lernst kennenyou get to know |
| er/sie/es | lernt kennenhe/she gets to know |
| wir | lernen kennenwe get to know |
| ihr | lernt kennenyou get to know |
| sie/Sie | lernen kennenthey get to know |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | lernte kennenI got to know |
|---|---|
| du | lerntest kennenyou got to know |
| er/sie/es | lernte kennenhe/she got to know |
| wir | lernten kennenwe got to know |
| ihr | lerntet kennenyou got to know |
| sie/Sie | lernten kennenthey got to know |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe kennengelerntI have got to know |
|---|---|
| du | hast kennengelerntyou have got to know |
| er/sie/es | hat kennengelernthe/she has got to know |
| wir | haben kennengelerntwe have got to know |
| ihr | habt kennengelerntyou have got to know |
| sie/Sie | haben kennengelerntthey have got to know |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte kennengelerntI had got to know |
|---|---|
| du | hattest kennengelerntyou had got to know |
| er/sie/es | hatte kennengelernthe/she had got to know |
| wir | hatten kennengelerntwe had got to know |
| ihr | hattet kennengelerntyou had got to know |
| sie/Sie | hatten kennengelerntthey had got to know |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde kennenlernenI will get to know |
|---|---|
| du | wirst kennenlernenyou will get to know |
| er/sie/es | wird kennenlernenhe/she will get to know |
| wir | werden kennenlernenwe will get to know |
| ihr | werdet kennenlernenyou will get to know |
| sie/Sie | werden kennenlernenthey will get to know |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Lern … kennen! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Lernt … kennen! |
| Sie | Lernen Sie … kennen! |
kennenlernen in use
- A1
Ich möchte dich gern kennenlernen.
I'd like to get to know you.
- A1
Wo habt ihr euch kennengelernt?
Where did you meet?
- A2
Im Kurs lerne ich viele Leute kennen.
I meet lots of people on the course.
Phrases
- Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.Nice to meet you.
Good to know
- Separable: Ich lerne dich kennen.
- Also written: kennen lernen.
Build it yourself.
Ziplex has a Verben bauen game: build verb forms from tiles, with the verbs from your own posts. Plus short posts at your level to see them in action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is kennenlernen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
kennenlernen takes haben. For example: habe kennengelernt.
What is the past tense of kennenlernen?
Präteritum: lernte kennen. Perfekt: habe kennengelernt.
Is kennenlernen a regular verb?
Yes, it's regular (weak).