Knew and new meaning

A common source of confusion!

"Knew" and "new" are two words that are often mixed up, but they have very different meanings.

Knew is the past tense of the verb "know". It means to have had knowledge or understanding of something in the past.

Examples:

• I knew her when she was a child. (I had knowledge of her in the past)
• I knew the answer to the question. (I had understanding of the answer in the past)

New, on the other hand, refers to something that is recent, not previously known or experienced, or not existing before.

Examples:

• This is a new book. (It's a recent publication)
• I'm trying a new restaurant tonight. (It's a place I haven't been to before)
• She's a new employee. (She's recently started working there)

So, to summarize:

• If you're talking about something you knew in the past, use "knew".
• If you're talking about something that's recent or not previously known, use "new".

Here are some more examples to help you understand the difference:

• I knew the city well when I lived there. (I had knowledge of the city in the past)
• This is a new city I'm visiting. (It's a place I haven't been to before)
• I knew the answer to the question, but I forgot it. (I had knowledge of the answer in the past, but I forgot it)
• This is a new answer I just found. (It's a recent discovery or solution)

I hope this helps clarify the difference between "knew" and "new"!