wissen
/ˈvɪsn̩/
To know (a fact) in German is wissen.
The word wissen is used when you have a specific piece of information or a fact in your mind. This translates to 'to know' in English.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish wissen from the verb kennen. Use wissen when referring to specific facts or information, whereas kennen is used for being acquainted with people, places or things.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In northern parts of Germany where Plattdeutsch is spoken, you may encounter the variation weten.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb wissen is irregular. In the present tense, the stem changes to weiß for the first and third person singular. The simple past form is wusste, and the past participle is gewusst.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈvɪsn̩/
When do people say it?
When you want to say 'I know it' in German, you often need to include a pronoun such as es or das (e.g., Ich weiß es), whereas in English, 'I know' can often stand alone.
Did you know?
- The Proto-Indo-European root of wissen actually meant 'to see', suggesting that ancient people conceptually linked the act of seeing with the act of knowing.
- In German, the word Wissen used as a noun refers to 'knowledge' in a general sense, but it is also the root of Wissenschaft, which means 'science'.
- The phrase Ich weiß Bescheid uses the noun Bescheid to express that the speaker is 'in the loop' or fully informed about a situation.
Examples in context
- Ich weiß nichtI don't know
- Ich weiß es nichtI don't know it
- Ich weiß, dass du heute ein wichtiges Meeting hastI know that you have an important meeting today
- Wir wissen die Antwort.We know the answer.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry wissen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wissen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
