kunne

Danish

Alternative forms

• kunde (obsolete form in the past tense)

Etymology

From Old Norse kunna, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, cognate with English con, German können. The Germanic verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”), which is also the source of the Danish words kende (“to know”), kunde (“customer”), kundskab (“knowledge”), kunst (“art”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkʰunə], [ˈkʰu]

Verb

kunne (present kan, past kunne, past participle kunnet)

1. (auxiliary) to be able, can (with an infinitive)
2. (auxiliary) to be allowed, may (with an infinitive)
3. (auxiliary, in the past tense) could, would, might (with an infinitive, expressing potential mood)
4. (transitive) to know (with an object, e.g. a language)

Inflection

Inflection of kunne

	present	past
simple	kan	kunne
perfect	har kunnet	havde kunnet
passive	kunnes	—
participle	kunnende	kunnet
imperative	-	—
infinitive	kunne	—
auxiliary verb	have	—
gerund	kunnen	—

References

• “kunne” in Den Danske Ordbog

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Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *kunni, from Proto-Germanic *kunją, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to produce”).

Noun

kunne f (uncountable)

1. gender, sex

Etymology 2

Verb

kunne

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of kunnen

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Finnish

Etymology

Sublative case of the interrogative stem ku- (see kuka).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkunːeˣ/, [ˈkunːe̞(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -unːe
• Syllabification: kun‧ne

Adverb

kunne

1. (archaic) whither (to where)

Anagrams

• enkun, nekun, nuken

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Hausa

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): /kûn.néː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [kʷʊ̂n.néː]

Noun

kûnnē m (plural kunnuwā̀, possessed form kûnnen)

1. ear
2. leaf (of a plant)

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key): /kún.né/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [kʷʊ́n.né]

Adverb

à kunne

1. in or on the ear

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Karelian

Etymology

Akin to Veps kuna.

Adverb

kunne

1. whither

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

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

Verb

kunne (present tense kan, simple past kunne, past participle kunnet)

1. can, could

   Jeg kan se deg.

   I can see you.

2. might

   Jeg kan komme, hvis jeg kan finne tid.

   I might come, if I can find the time.

3. can (be able to)

   Jeg kan spille fele.

   I can play the fiddle.

4. to know

   Jeg kan denne sangen.

   I know this song. (lit. I can do this song.)

References

• “kunne” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• kunna

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²kʉnːə/
• Homophone: kunde (in some dialects)

Verb

kunne (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

• “kunne” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.