Wissen - to know (for a fact)

The verb wissen - to know (for a fact) has a unique conjugation in the present tense. It also must distinguished from the other verb in German that means "to know" - kennen, conjugation is regular. Kennen means "to know a person, to be acquainted with someone" whereas wissen means to "know for a fact, to know a fact."

Learn and study the conjugation of "wissen."

wissen - to know

Singular

Plural

First Person
Talking about yourself or yourself and others in your group.

Ich weiß

Wir wissen

Second Person, Informal
Talking to someone, or a group of people. These people could be your friends, siblings, animals, children, parents, anyone you are on intimate terms with.

du weißt

ihr wißt

Third Person
Talking about someone or a group of people.

er		weiß
sie
es

sie wissen

Second Person, Formal
Talking to someone or a group of people. These are people you are not on intimate terms with: adults you don't know, people in power, teachers/professors, etc.

Sie wissen

Like the modal verbs, wissen experiences a vowel change in the singular forms, and their first and third person singular forms are identical. The plural forms follow a basic verb conjugation pattern

All-important phrases using wissen that should be used frequently are:

Ich weiß das nicht. - I don't know

Ich weiß . . . . - I know, -- then a declarative sentence of something you know

Weißt du (das)? - Do you know (that)?