Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
könen. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
könen, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
könen in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
könen you have here. The definition of the word
könen will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
könen, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Low German
Etymology
From Middle Low German kȫnen, alternative form of künnen, from Old Saxon kunnan. Compare Low German kunnen, German können, English can, Danish kunne.
Pronunciation
Verb
könen (third-person singular simple present kann, past tense kunn, past participle kunnt, auxiliary verb hebben)
- (auxiliary, modal) can, to be able to
He kann goot rennen, wieldat he en professionelle Sportmann weer.- He can run well, because he was a professional sportsman.
- to be able to do
Ik kann dat nich.- I am not able to do that.
- to know or be able
Wi köönt all Engelsch un Hoochdüütsch.- We can all speak English and High German.
Usage notes
- This verb can also appear as künnen or können in different dialects, the former being more often encountered than the latter.
- Singular forms of könen are identical stems with a change of vowel (öö becoming a), plural forms of könen are conjugated in the way regular Low German verbs are conjugated, and the past tense is conjugated in an irregular manner with the same vowel through the line. In its conjugation this verb shows similarities with mögen and schölen, and is more distantly related to the German and Dutch variants of this verb: können and kunnen.
- The old subjunctive II form künn is sometimes used with the meaning "could".
Conjugation
Conjugation of könen (preterite-present)
Derived terms
Swedish
Noun
könen
- definite plural of kön
Anagrams