01
gekonnt
skilled
Carried out with great skill, ability, and confidence; masterful.
example
Sie hat die schwierige Situation gekonnt gemeistert.
She handled the difficult situation skillfully.
gekonnt
skilled
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
'Gekonnt' (skilled / skillfully) is the past participle of the modal verb 'können' (to be able to / can). It describes an action that was carried out with a lot of ability and skill.
EXAMPLE
Das war eine wirklich gekonnte Antwort auf eine schwierige Frage.
That was a truly skillful answer to a difficult question.
Use in a sentence
'Gekonnt' (skilled / skillfully) can be used as an adverb to describe a verb. It can also stand as an adjective before a noun or after verbs like 'sein' (to be) or 'wirken' (to seem / appear).
EXAMPLE
Der Pianist spielte das Stück sehr gekonnt.
The pianist played the piece very skillfully.
Typical collocations
The word is often used to describe handling difficult or unpleasant things. Typical combinations are 'etwas gekonnt ignorieren' (to skillfully ignore something), 'einer Frage gekonnt ausweichen' (to skillfully dodge a question), or 'eine Kritik gekonnt parieren' (to skillfully deflect criticism).
EXAMPLE
Er hat die provokante Frage des Journalisten gekonnt ignoriert.
He skillfully ignored the journalist's provocative question.
Compare with
gekonnt vs gut
good
'gut' and 'gekonnt' can both describe an action being carried out successfully or positively. 'gut' is more general: you can cook well, explain well, or plan well. 'gekonnt' puts more emphasis on a person's skill and confidence. It is especially fitting when you can tell that someone has practice, experience, or talent. 'Gut gemacht' can simply mean a positive result. 'Gekonnt gemacht' sounds as if the execution was especially skillful.
gekonnt
Beim Training spielt ihr die Pässe gekonnt und sicher.
During training, you play the passes skillfully and confidently.
gut
Die neue App funktioniert gut und ist leicht zu bedienen.
The new app works well and is easy to use.
In real life
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