Jeg kjenner til denne byen.

I am familiar with this city.

Breakdown of Jeg kjenner til denne byen.

• jeg: I
• by: the 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?

Rough guidelines:

• kjenner
  Used for:

  • People: Jeg kjenner henne. – I know her.
  • Places and things you know well or personally: Jeg kjenner byen godt. – I know the city well.
  • Skills or familiarity: Jeg kjenner systemet. – I know the system (in depth).

• kjenner til
  Used for:

  • Things you’ve heard of / are aware of:
    Jeg kjenner til denne byen. – I know of this city.
    Jeg kjenner til saken. – I’m aware of the case / issue. It often suggests limited or general knowledge.

• vet
  Used for:

  • Facts and information:
    Jeg vet hvor byen ligger. – I know where the city is.
    Jeg vet at byen er stor. – I know that the city is big.

So:

• “Know a person / be familiar with something in a personal way” → kjenner
• “Have heard of / be aware of something” → kjenner til
• “Know a fact” → vet

Is kjenner til considered one verb, and what is its infinitive and conjugation?

Yes, kjenne til is treated as a fixed verb phrase (a bit like an English phrasal verb).

• Infinitive: å kjenne til
• Present: kjenner til – Jeg kjenner til denne byen.
• Past (preterite): kjente til – Jeg kjente til byen fra før.
• Past participle: har kjent til – Jeg har kjent til byen i mange år.

The preposition til stays with kjenne in all forms when used with this meaning of “be aware of / know of”.

Is til always required after kjenner when I talk about a city or place?

No, til is not always required. It changes the meaning:

• Jeg kjenner til denne byen.
  I know of this city / I’m aware of it.

• Jeg kjenner denne byen.
  I know this city (well, from personal experience).

So you only add til if you specifically want the “know of / be aware of” meaning. Without til, you are saying you know the place more directly or intimately.

Why is it denne byen and not denne by?

In Norwegian, when you use a demonstrative like denne (this), the noun usually appears in its definite form:

• Indefinite singular: en by – a city
• Definite singular: byen – the city

With denne, you say:

• denne byen – this city

So:

• denne byen is correct
• denne by is wrong

This “double definiteness” (demonstrative + definite noun) is a typical feature of Norwegian grammar.

What is the difference between denne byen and denne byen her?

Both are grammatical and understandable:

• denne byen – this city
• denne byen her – literally “this city here”

Denne byen her is more colloquial and a bit more emphatic or pointing-like, similar to saying “this city right here” in English.

In neutral written language, denne byen is usually preferred; in speech, both are common.

Can Jeg kjenner til denne byen also mean “I know this city well”?

Not usually.

Jeg kjenner til denne byen mainly suggests you know of the city or are familiar with its existence. It does not strongly imply personal, detailed knowledge.

To clearly say “I know this city well”, you would typically say:

• Jeg kjenner denne byen godt.
• Jeg kjenner byen veldig godt.

Adding godt (well) and often dropping til makes the idea of deep familiarity clear.

Are there other common ways to say you are familiar with a city in Norwegian?

Yes, some common alternatives are:

• Jeg kjenner denne byen godt. – I know this city well.
• Jeg er godt kjent i denne byen. – I am well acquainted with this city / I know my way around this city.
• Jeg er kjent i byen. – I know my way around the city.
• Jeg har bodd her lenge, så jeg kjenner byen. – I’ve lived here a long time, so I know the city.

Kjent i is especially common for “knowing your way around” a place.

How do you pronounce kjenner and byen?

Approximate pronunciation (using rough English-like hints):

• kjenner:

  • kj is a soft sound, somewhat like the German “ich” or like a very soft “h” mixed with “sh”, produced far forward in the mouth.
  • So kjenner is roughly like “hyen-ner” (2 syllables), but with that distinct Norwegian kj sound at the start.

• byen:

  • by is pronounced like “bee” (long i sound).
  • The -en is like a short, light “en”, though in many accents it’s very reduced.
  • So byen is roughly “BEE-en” (2 syllables).

Spoken together: Jeg kjenner til denne byen →
“Yai HYEN-ner til DEN-neh BEE-en” (very approximate).

Can I say Jeg kjenner denne byen til with the til at the end?

No.
In this verb phrase, til must stay directly after kjenner:

• ✔ Jeg kjenner til denne byen.
• ✘ Jeg kjenner denne byen til.

Putting til at the end would sound wrong to Norwegian speakers, because kjenne til is treated as a fixed unit with til immediately following the verb.