Breakdown of Wir haben das Geheimnis nicht gewusst.
haben
to have
wir
we
nicht
not
wissen
to know (a fact)
das Geheimnis
the secret
Questions & Answers about Wir haben das Geheimnis nicht gewusst.
Why is the past participle gewusst when the infinitive is wissen?
wissen is a mixed verb. It forms its past participle with ge- and -t, just like regular verbs do. However, like irregular verbs, its stem vowel changes! The 'i' in wissen turns into a 'u', making it gewusst.
Could I say Wir haben das Geheimnis nicht gekannt instead?
No, it is best to use gewusst here. The verb wissen (past participle gewusst) is used for knowing facts, information, or secrets. The verb kennen (past participle gekannt) is used for being acquainted with a person, place, or a specific object.
Why is nicht placed right before gewusst?
In the Perfekt tense, the past participle (gewusst) is always pushed to the very end of the sentence. When you negate the main action of the sentence (the fact that you didn't know), nicht goes right before that final verb at the end.
How can I remember that Geheimnis is a das word?
A helpful trick is that almost all German nouns ending in -nis are neuter, meaning they take das. In this sentence, it is the direct object, and das conveniently stays exactly the same in the accusative case.
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