bekennen
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
From Middle Dutch bekennen, from Old Dutch bikennen. Equivalent to be- + kennen.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
bekennen
- (transitive) to acknowledge, confess
- (transitive) to see, to make out, to discern
- (transitive, biblical, euphemistic) to have sex, to know, have carnal knowledge
Inflection edit
| Inflection of bekennen (weak, prefixed) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | bekennen | |||
| past singular | bekende | |||
| past participle | bekend | |||
| infinitive | bekennen | |||
| gerund | bekennen n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | beken | bekende | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | bekent | bekende | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | bekent | bekende | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | bekent | bekende | ||
| 3rd person singular | bekent | bekende | ||
| plural | bekennen | bekenden | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | bekenne | bekende | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | bekennen | bekenden | ||
| imperative sing. | beken | |||
| imperative plur.1 | bekent | |||
| participles | bekennend | bekend | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
German edit
Etymology edit
be- + kennen. Cognate with Scottish dialectal English beken.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
bekennen (irregular weak, third-person singular present bekennt, past tense bekannte, past participle bekannt, past subjunctive bekennte, auxiliary haben)
- (transitive) to confess, to admit
- (transitive) to bear witness, to avow
- Farbe bekennen ― to show one's true colors
- (reflexive, often with zu (“to/with/on”)) to pledge oneself (to), to commit (to), to declare one's affiliation (with), to take a stand (on)
- sich zu einer Religion bekennen
- to profess / to commit to a religion
- (reflexive, law) to plead
- Der Beklagte bekannte sich schuldig.
- The defendant pleaded guilty.
Conjugation edit
| infinitive | bekennen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | bekennend | ||||
| past participle | bekannt | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich bekenne | wir bekennen | i | ich bekenne | wir bekennen |
| du bekennst | ihr bekennt | du bekennest | ihr bekennet | ||
| er bekennt | sie bekennen | er bekenne | sie bekennen | ||
| preterite | ich bekannte | wir bekannten | ii | ich bekennte1 | wir bekennten1 |
| du bekanntest | ihr bekanntet | du bekenntest1 | ihr bekenntet1 | ||
| er bekannte | sie bekannten | er bekennte1 | sie bekennten1 | ||
| imperative | bekenn (du) bekenne (du) |
bekennt (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
Middle Dutch edit
Etymology edit
From Old Dutch bikennen. Equivalent to be- + kennen.
Verb edit
bekennen
- to get to know, to learn of
- to notice
- to see
- to recognise
- to know
- to acknowledge, to discern
Inflection edit
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Further reading edit
- “bekennen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bekennen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN