verb

kennenlernen

get to know

Es bedeutet, wenn man einer neuen Person begegnet oder etwas Neues erfährt und dabei mehr darüber weiß oder vertraut wird.

Definition & meaning

kennenlernen means “to get to know,” “to become acquainted with,” or “to meet for the first time.”

It is mainly used for:

Meeting a person for the first time:
Ich möchte dich kennenlernen. — “I would like to get to know you.”
Becoming familiar with a place, culture, subject, or activity:
Wir lernen die Stadt kennen. — “We are getting to know the city.”

The verb often suggests more than simply meeting someone: it implies gradually becoming familiar with their personality, background, or characteristics.

Grammar & Word origin

kennenlernen is made up of:

kennen — “to know” or “to be acquainted with”
lernen — “to learn”

It is a separable verb in finite clauses:

Ich lerne ihn kennen. — “I am getting to know him.”
Sie lernt eine neue Kultur kennen. — “She is getting to know a new culture.”

In the perfect tense, it forms:

Ich habe ihn kennengelernt. — “I got to know him.”

With zu, the usual form is:

Es ist schön, dich kennenzulernen. — “It is nice to get to know you.”

The alternative spelling kennen lernen is also encountered, especially in older texts or certain style conventions.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

sich bekannt machen mit — “to become acquainted with”; somewhat more formal and often reciprocal.
Bekanntschaft schließen — “to make someone’s acquaintance”; formal or slightly literary.
sich vertraut machen mit — “to familiarize oneself with”; usually used for subjects, systems, or procedures rather than personal relationships.
treffen — “to meet”; this describes the encounter itself, but does not necessarily imply becoming acquainted.

Antonyms

There is no exact single antonym. Depending on the context, possible opposites include:

jemanden meiden — “to avoid someone,” preventing contact or acquaintance.
sich von jemandem entfremden — “to become estranged from someone,” describing the loss of closeness after knowing them.