German Phrase
Wann haben sie sich kennengelernt?
Meaning
The sentence asks for the point in time when two people first met each other. It uses the present perfect to refer to a past event and the reflexive form of the separable verb 'kennenlernen'.
When to use
Use this question when you want to know the exact date or occasion when two people became acquainted, for example in introductions, storytelling, or when discussing relationships.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Wannhabensiesichkennengelernt
Question word first
In German yes‑no and wh‑questions, the interrogative word (Wann) occupies the first position.
Present perfect (Perfekt)
Past events in spoken German are usually expressed with the present perfect: auxiliary 'haben' + past participle.
Separable verb 'kennenlernen'
The verb splits in the present tense (kennen lernen) but the past participle is a single word 'kennengelernt' placed at the end.
Reflexive pronoun
When two people meet each other, the verb is used reflexively: 'sich kennenlernen'.
Subject‑verb order in questions
After the question word, the finite verb (haben) comes before the subject (sie).
🗨In Conversation
Wann haben sie sich kennengelernt?
When did they meet each other?
Sie haben sich 2010 auf einer Party kennengelernt.
They met each other at a party in 2010.
✕Common Mistakes
Wann haben sie sich kennen gelernt?
The past participle of 'kennenlernen' is written as one word: 'kennengelernt'.
Wann sie haben sich kennengelernt?
In a wh‑question the finite verb must follow the question word, not the subject.
Wann haben Sie sich kennengelernt?
Capitalizing 'sie' changes the meaning to the formal 'you'. Here we refer to 'they', so keep it lowercase.
Wann haben sie sich kennengelernt??
Do not add an extra question mark after the verb; the whole sentence already ends with one.
↔Alternatives
Wie haben sie sich kennengelernt?
How did they meet each other?
Seit wann kennen sie sich?
Since when have they known each other?
Wann trafen sie sich zum ersten Mal?
When did they first meet?
Cultural Tip
In everyday German, the Perfekt (present perfect) is preferred over the Präteritum (simple past) for spoken narratives, even for events that happened years ago. Also, remember that 'sie' can mean 'they' or the formal 'you' – context decides which meaning applies, and the verb conjugation stays the same.