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)

Conjugation

Conjugation of kunne

active passive present kan kunnes past kunne — infinitive kunne kunnes imperative - — participle present kunnende past kunnet (auxiliary verb have) gerund kunnen

References

• “kunne” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology 1

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

Noun

kunne f (uncountable)

1. gender, sex

Etymology 2

Verb

kunne

1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of kunnen

Finnish

Etymology

ku- +‎ -nne (sublative singular)

Pronunciation

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

Adverb

kunne (archaic)

1. whither (to where)

Derived terms

• kunneka
• kunnekaan
• kunnekin

Further reading

• “kunne”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Anagrams

• enkun, nekun, nuken