Breakdown of Ik ken dit lied uit mijn hoofd.
ik
I
dit
this
het lied
the song
kennen
to know
uit mijn hoofd
by heart
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Questions & Answers about Ik ken dit lied uit mijn hoofd.
Why is kennen used here instead of weten?
In Dutch, kennen is used for being familiar with people, places or items such as a song. weten is used for knowing facts or pieces of information. Since you’re talking about being familiar with (i.e. having memorized) the song, you use kennen.
What does uit mijn hoofd mean?
Literally “out of my head.” It’s an idiomatic expression meaning “by heart” or “from memory.” So Ik ken dit lied uit mijn hoofd means “I know this song by heart.”
Why is uit mijn hoofd placed at the end of the sentence?
Dutch main clause word order typically follows Subject–Verb–Object–Adverbial. Uit mijn hoofd is an adverbial phrase of manner, so it naturally comes after the object dit lied.
Why do we say dit lied instead of het lied or dat lied?
dit is the neuter singular demonstrative adjective used for something close in context (“this song”). het lied would be “the song” in general. dat lied (“that song”) would refer to something more distant in thought or context.
Could I use kunnen instead of kennen, like Ik kan dit lied uit mijn hoofd?
Yes, but with a nuance. Ik kan dit lied uit mijn hoofd often emphasizes your ability to perform or sing it from memory. Ik ken dit lied uit mijn hoofd emphasizes that you already know it thoroughly.
Can I say Ik heb dit lied uit mijn hoofd geleerd instead?
Absolutely. Ik heb geleerd stresses the learning process (“I have learned this song by heart”), whereas Ik ken … stresses the current state of knowing it.
Is it correct to shorten mijn to m’n in uit m’n hoofd?
Informally yes—m’n is common in casual writing or speech. In formal writing you should stick to mijn.
Can I use herkennen in this sentence?
No. herkennen means “to recognize” (identifying something upon seeing/hearing it again). Here you want “to know a song by heart,” so kennen is the correct verb.