kennenlernen
German, verb[ˈkɛnənˌlɛɐ̯nən]
kennenlernen is spelled K-E-N-N-E-N-L-E-R-N-E-N (12 letters) and appears 17 times per million words in written German, the 4,505th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Kennenlernen is a German verb meaning “to get to know, become acquainted with (a person, place, thing); to befriend” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “sich mit jemandem bekannt machen”.
What does kennenlernen mean in English?
verb
- 1
to get to know, become acquainted with (a person, place, thing); to befriend.
- 2
to meet; introduce oneself to; to present.
Schön, dich kennenzulernen!
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. sich mit jemandem bekannt machen 2. sich Wissen über etwas aneignen
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of kennenlernen
- lernt kennen present singular third-person
- lernte kennen past
- kennengelernt participle past
- haben auxiliary
- kennenlernend participle present
- kennenzulernen infinitive infinitive-zu
- lerne kennen first-person indicative present
- lernen kennen first-person indicative plural
- lernst kennen indicative present second-person
- lernest kennen second-person singular subjunctive
- lernet kennen plural second-person subjunctive
- lernten kennen first-person indicative plural
- lerntest kennen indicative preterite second-person
- lerntet kennen indicative plural preterite
- kennen lernen alternative
- lerne kennen! imperative singular
- lernt kennen! imperative plural
- kennengelernt haben active infinitive perfect
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce kennenlernen?
- [ˈkɛnənˌlɛɐ̯nən]
- [ˈkɛnənˌlɛʁnən]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to kennenlernen
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is kennenlernen in German?
kennenlernen appears 17 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).