Meaning and Usage
The verb wissen means "to know" in the sense of knowing facts or information. It is used when someone has knowledge or is aware of specific facts, details, or pieces of information. It differs from the verb kennen, which is used for being familiar with people, places, or things.
Verb Type and Irregularity
wissen is an irregular verb and is often used in the present tense with irregular conjugation. It is a modal-like irregular verb and its stem changes in different forms. This verb is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts.
Present Tense Conjugation
Below is the present tense conjugation of wissen with example sentences to demonstrate its use with different subjects.
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | weiß | I know | Ich weiß die Antwort. | I know the answer. |
| du | weißt | you know (singular) | Weißt du das? | Do you know that? |
| er/sie/es | weiß | he/she/it knows | Er weiß alles über das Thema. | He knows everything about the topic. |
| wir | wissen | we know | Wir wissen, was zu tun ist. | We know what to do. |
| ihr | wisst | you know (plural) | Wisst ihr die Regeln? | Do you (all) know the rules? |
| sie/Sie | wissen | they/you (formal) know | Sie wissen, wie man das Problem löst. | They/You (formal) know how to solve the problem. |
Past Tense Forms
The simple past (preterite) form of wissen is also irregular, and it is commonly used in writing and formal speech.
| German Pronoun | Simple Past Conjugation | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | wusste | I knew | Ich wusste die Antwort nicht. | I did not know the answer. |
| du | wusstest | you knew | Wusstest du das? | Did you know that? |
| er/sie/es | wusste | he/she/it knew | Er wusste die Wahrheit. | He knew the truth. |
| wir | wussten | we knew | Wir wussten davon. | We knew about it. |
| ihr | wusstet | you knew (plural) | Wusstet ihr das? | Did you (all) know that? |
| sie/Sie | wussten | they/you (formal) knew | Sie wussten Bescheid. | They/You (formal) knew the details. |
Past Participle and Perfect Tense
The past participle of wissen is gewusst. It is used to form the perfect tense together with the auxiliary verb haben.
Example:
Ich habe es gewusst. — I have known it.
This form is important for conversational German to express knowledge in the recent past.
Subjunctive and Modal Usage
The subjunctive (Konjunktiv II) form is wüsste, which is used to express hypothetical knowledge or polite requests.
Example:
Ich wüsste gern mehr darüber. — I would like to know more about that.
This form is common in polite inquiries or hypothetical statements.
Summary
wissen is an essential German verb used to express factual knowledge. Its irregular conjugation in the present and past tenses makes it important to learn and recognize for effective communication. Use it whenever referring to knowing facts, information, or specific knowledge.
