kunna

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʰʊnːa/
• Rhymes: -ʊnːa

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

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

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʰʏnːa/
• Rhymes: -ʏnːa

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.

• kunnur

• kunne
• koinn, koinnj (Trøndelag eye dialect spelling)

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

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.

• “kunna” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Proto-West Germanic *kunnan.

kunna

1. to be able (to), can

• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: kön

  Hallig: kune

  Helgoland: kan

  Mooring: koone

  Sylt: ken

• Saterland Frisian: konne
• West Frisian: kinne

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

kunna

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

• kenna
• kná
• kœnn

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “kunna”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

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

kunna

1. can, to be able
2. to know

• Swedish: kunna

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

• IPA^(key): /²kɵnːa/

• Audio:

  (file)

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

   Om jag var rik så skulle jag kunna köpa ett slott

   If I were rich, I would be able to buy a castle / I could buy a castle

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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)

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.

• skulle kunna (a common construction, used like "could; might")

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

• kunna in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• kunna in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• kunna in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• unkna