See also: kunnâ and kúnna

Faroese edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse kunna, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

kunna (third person singular past indicative kundi, third person plural past indicative kundu, supine kunnað)

  1. can, to be able to
  2. to know

Conjugation edit

Conjugation of kunna (irregular)
infinitive kunna
supine kunnað
participle — —
present past
first singular kann kundi
second singular kanst kundi
third singular kann kundi
plural kunnu/kunna kundu
imperative
singular —!
plural —!

Icelandic edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse kunna, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

kunna (preterite-present verb, third-person singular present indicative kann, third-person singular past indicative kunni, supine kunnað)

  1. to know (by heart), know a skill
    Hún kann enga þýsku.
    She doesn't know any German.
    Ég kunni þetta kvæði einu sinni utanað.
    I used to know this poem by heart.
  2. can: to know how to
    Um hvað ertu að tala? Auðvitað kann ég að synda.
    What are you talking about? Of course I can swim.
    Enginn er maður með mönnum nema hann kunni að skjóta.
    A man's not a man unless he knows how to shoot.
  3. may, might (denoting possibility)
    Þetta kann að vera of seint.
    It may already be too late.
    Viðbrögð hans kunna að virðast undarleg.
    His reaction might seem strange.

Conjugation edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Old Norse kunna, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-. Akin to English can.

Verb edit

kunna (present tense kan, past tense kunne, past participle kunna)

  1. can, could
    Eg kan sjå deg.
    I can see you.
  2. might
    Eg kan komma, om eg får tid.
    I might come, if I can find the time.
  3. can (be able to)
    Eg kan spela fele.
    I can play the fiddle.
  4. to know
    Eg kan denne songen.
    I know this song.

References edit

Old Frisian edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-West Germanic *kunnan.

Verb edit

kunna

  1. to be able (to), can

Descendants edit

  • North Frisian:
    Föhr-Amrum: kön
    Hallig: kune
    Helgoland: kan
    Mooring: koone
    Sylt: ken
  • Saterland Frisian: konne
  • West Frisian: kinne

Old Norse edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Germanic *kunnaną. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (to know).

Verb edit

kunna

  1. to know, understand, be able to
  2. to know (by memory)
  3. to know, be familiar with (a person)

Conjugation edit

Related terms edit

Descendants edit

References edit

  • kunna”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Old Swedish edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse kunna, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną.

Verb edit

kunna

  1. can, to be able
  2. to know

Conjugation edit

Descendants edit

Swedish edit

Etymology edit

From Old Swedish kunna, from Old Norse kunna, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /²kɵnːa/
  • (file)

Verb edit

kunna (present kan, preterite kunde, supine kunnat)

  1. "to can", to be able to
    att kunna göra något
    to be able to do something
    Jag kan göra det
    I can do it
    Hon kan spela dragspel
    She can play the accordion
    Hur länge har hon kunnat spela dragspel?
    How long has she been able to play the accordion?
    Jag hade också spelat dragspel om jag (hade) kunnat
    I would also have played the accordion if I had been able to
    Kan du komma imorgon?
    Can you come tomorrow?
    Jag kunde knappt vänta
    I could hardly wait
    1. to know (have proficiency in or deeper knowledge of)
      Kan du tyska?
      Do you know German?
      Jag kan karate
      I know karate
      Jag kan svaret på fråga 3
      I know the answer to question 3 (can also be expressed with veta (know))
      Han kan sina knep
      He knows his tricks
      Han kan sina skräckfilmer och vann frågesporten
      He knows his horror movies and won the quiz
    2. to possibly be able to, can, could, might, may
      Det kan hända vem som helst
      It can happen to anyone
      Kan han vara den skyldige?
      Could he be the culprit?
      Ja, det kan vara han som gjorde det
      Yeah, it might/could be him who did it
      att kunna vara skyldig
      to possibly ("to be able to") be guilty (somewhat awkward, but to illustrate the idea)
      Kan det vara Nisse som står där borta?
      Could that be Nisse standing over there?
      Det här kan vara det godaste jag ätit
      This may be the most delicious thing I've ever eaten
    3. to be given permission to, "to can", "to may"
      Ni kan komma in nu
      You can/may come in now
      Du kan gå nu
      You may leave now (sounds more like an order in this example, like in English)

Usage notes edit

The English verb know has several different translations in Swedish, and the correct choice is not always obvious:

  • veta – This is used mainly about theoretical knowledge (to know individual facts), while kunna also assumes ability, or even proficiency in the use of the knowledge.
  • veta om – To be aware of.
  • känna – To know about a person or their intentions (also: to recognize someone, to know someone's name).
  • känna till – About knowing a (small) specific piece of fact; be (loosely) aware of. May indicate that the facts are a bit distant or less important to the person.

Conjugation edit

See also edit

  • skulle (often appears together with kunna, especially in polite phrases)

References edit

Anagrams edit