Wissen vs. Kennen | What's the difference?

Learning a new language can be challenging, especially when it comes to understanding the subtle differences between similar words. In German, two verbs that often cause confusion for learners are "wissen" and "kennen". Both words mean "to know", but they are used in different contexts. In this blog post, we'll explore the differences between these two verbs and give you examples to help you understand how to use them correctly.

Wissen

"Wissen" means "to know" in the sense of having knowledge or information about something. It is used to express familiarity with a fact or concept.

For example:

Kennen

"Kennen" means "to know" in the sense of being familiar with a person, place, or thing. It is used to express acquaintance or recognition.

For example:

Dialogue To further illustrate the differences between "wissen" and "kennen", let's look at a dialogue between two friends:

Ich weiß nicht, wie ich diesen Text übersetzen soll.

I do not know how to translate this text.

Kann ich dir helfen? Ich kenne mich mit Deutsch-Englisch Übersetzungen aus.

Can I help you? I know a lot about German-English translations.

Ja, das wäre toll. Weißt du wie man das Wort 'Eichhörnchen' übersetzt?

Yes, that would be great. Do you know how to translate the word 'Eichhörnchen'?

Oh, das Tier kenne ich nicht... ach, doch, ich weiß welches du meinst! Das ist 'squirrel'.

Oh, I don't know that animal... Oh, yes, I know which one you mean! That's 'squirrel'.

In this dialogue, Nadar uses "wissen" to express that he doesn't have knowledge of how to translate the text. Nietzche, on the other hand, uses "kennen" to express that she is familiar with Deutsch-Englisch Übersetzungen.

Conclusion In summary, "wissen" and "kennen" are two German verbs that both mean "to know", but are used