Jeg kjenner til denne byen.

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Breakdown of Jeg kjenner til denne byen.

• by: a city
• denne: this
• kjenne til: to know about

Questions & Answers about Jeg kjenner til denne byen.

What does kjenner til literally mean, and how is it different from just kjenner?

Kjenner til literally means “know of” or “be aware of / familiar with (the existence of something).”

• Jeg kjenner til denne byen.
  = I know of this city / I’m familiar with this city (at least by name or in a general way).

By contrast:

• Jeg kjenner denne byen.
  = I know this city (well / personally, have real experience of it).

So kjenner til usually suggests a weaker, more distant kind of knowledge than kjenner on its own.

Could I instead say Jeg kjenner denne byen, and what is the difference in meaning?

Yes, you can say Jeg kjenner denne byen.

• Jeg kjenner til denne byen:
  I know of this city / I’m aware of it. You may have heard of it, know roughly where it is, maybe know a few facts, but you’re not necessarily very familiar with it.

• Jeg kjenner denne byen:
  I know this city (well). This usually implies you’ve spent time there, you know the streets, the areas, how things work there, etc.

So changing to kjenner without til normally makes the knowledge sound deeper and more personal.

When should I use kjenner, kjenner til, and vet?