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Pedro
"Meinst du", "Kennst du" and "Weißt du"?
Can someone please explain "Meinst du", "Kennst du" and "Weißt du"? They seem to be used interchangeably?
Jan 26, 2015 5:00 PM
Answers · 4
Meinen should be used when we want to express or ask for an opinion
e.g. Was meinst du? What do you think? or also : Was meinst du damit? What do you want to say with that?
Kennen should be used when we want to express that we are familiar with a person or a place. e.g. Kennst du den neuen Nachbarn? (Do you know the new neighbor?)
-> Ja, ich kenne ihn. (Yes, I know him)
Wissen should be used when we want to express a fact, something that we have knowledge about.
The answer would requiere a phrase as opposed to a noun or pronoun and most of the time you would have a subordinate clause which starts with ” dass, wie, wann, wo, wer, warum …”. Weisst du, wie alt er ist? (Do you know how old he is?)
January 26, 2015
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Pedro
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English, German
Learning Language
German
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