Kilo Lingo
Part of Chapter 16

CEFR A2-B1

Test yourself (32 questions)

Saber vs Conocer

English has one verb, "to know", doing two very different jobs: knowing a fact and knowing a person. Spanish refuses to merge them. Saber is for facts, information and skills. Conocer is for acquaintance and familiarity. They almost never overlap, which makes this an easier split than ser vs estar once the principle lands.

  • Sé dónde vive. (I know where he lives.) - information, saber
  • Conozco su casa. (I know his house.) - familiarity, conocer

Saber: facts, information, know-how

Saber is knowledge you can state, recall or perform. Three jobs:

Facts and information, usually followed by que or a question word:

  • Sé que mañana es lunes. (I know that tomorrow is Monday.)
  • No sé dónde está. (I don't know where it is.)
  • ¿Sabes a qué hora llega? (Do you know what time he arrives?)

Knowing a piece of data - a fact treated as an object:

  • ¿Sabes su nombre? (Do you know his name?)
  • No sé la respuesta. (I don't know the answer.)

Know how to, with saber plus an infinitive. This is the one English handles with two words:

  • Sé nadar. (I know how to swim / I can swim.)
  • Mi madre sabe cocinar muy bien. (My mother knows how to cook very well.)

Note there is no extra word for "how": saber plus infinitive carries it. Saying sé cómo nadar is a calque from English and sounds wrong.

Conocer: people, places, things

Conocer is acquaintance - being familiar with someone or something through experience. It takes a direct object, never que and never an infinitive.

People (with the personal a):

  • Conozco a tu hermano. (I know your brother.)
  • ¿Conoces a alguien aquí? (Do you know anyone here?)

Places:

  • Conozco bien Madrid. (I know Madrid well.)
  • No conozco esta zona. (I don't know this area.)

Things and subjects - in the sense of being acquainted with, familiar with, having experience of:

  • Conozco esa canción. (I know that song.)
  • Conoce muy bien su trabajo. (He knows his job very well.)

That last pair is worth dwelling on. Sabe su trabajo would mean he knows the facts of it cold; conoce su trabajo means he is experienced and at home in it. English blurs the two; Spanish does not.

The conjugations and the irregular yo

Both are regular -er verbs in the present except for the first person singular.

Personsaberconocer
yoséconozco
túsabesconoces
él / ella / ustedsabeconoce
nosotrossabemosconocemos
vosotrossabéisconocéis
ellos / ellas / ustedessabenconocen

Sé carries a written accent to keep it apart from the reflexive pronoun se. Conozco inserts a -zc- before the o - the same pattern you will meet in parecer (parezco), ofrecer (ofrezco) and many other -cer verbs.

The preterite trap

In the preterite, both verbs shift meaning to the moment the knowing began.

  • conocí = I met (for the first time), not "I knew"
    • Conocí a Pedro el año pasado. (I met Pedro last year.)
  • supe = I found out, I learned, not "I knew"
    • Supe la verdad ayer. (I found out the truth yesterday.)

For the ongoing past state, use the imperfect:

  • conocía = I knew / was acquainted with
  • sabía = I knew (a fact)
    • Ya conocía a Pedro; sabía que era de Madrid. (I already knew Pedro; I knew he was from Madrid.)

This is the single most common stumble for intermediate learners. Conocí a María is a first meeting, not a description of an old friendship.

Worked contrasts

  • Sé su número (I know his number - the data) vs conozco a su hermano (I know his brother - the person).
  • ¿Sabes Madrid? is wrong; you can know facts about Madrid with saber que..., but you are acquainted with the city with conozco Madrid.
  • Sabe tocar la guitarra (he knows how to play the guitar - skill) vs conoce esa guitarra (he knows that particular guitar - familiarity).

Common mistakes English speakers make

Using conocer for facts. "I know that it's late" is sé que es tarde, never conozco que es tarde. Facts and que clauses are always saber.

Using saber for people. "I know María" is conozco a María, never sé a María. People are conocer territory, and they take the personal a.

Adding cómo after saber. "I know how to drive" is sé conducir, not sé cómo conducir. The infinitive alone carries the "how to".

Reading conocí as "I knew". In the preterite it means I met. For the lasting state, reach for the imperfect conocía.

See also

  • The ser vs estar page covers the other famous one-English-word, two-Spanish-verbs split.
  • The personal a page explains the little a that conocer needs before a person.
  • The Spanish verbs page has the full conjugation of saber and conocer across every tense.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/8

Pick saber or conocer (in the form shown) - facts and know-how take saber, acquaintance with people, places and things takes conocer.

  1. a tu hermano. (your brother - a person)

  2. dónde vive. (where he lives - information)

  3. nadar muy bien. (how to swim - a skill)

  4. bien Madrid. (the city - familiarity)

  5. que mañana es lunes. (a fact, with que)

  6. a su hermano muy bien. (a person - acquaintance)

  7. la respuesta. (the answer - a fact)

  8. esa canción. (familiar with the song)

Pick the right one

0/7

Now the él / ella / usted form. Choose sabe or conoce.

  1. Mi madre cocinar muy bien. (knows how to)

  2. muy bien su trabajo. (is experienced at it)

  3. No la respuesta. (the answer - a fact)

  4. esa canción. (familiar with the song)

  5. que llega tarde. (a fact, with que)

  6. bien esta ciudad. (familiar with the city)

  7. No dónde está el tren. (information)

Fill in the blank

0/8

Fill the gap with the right form of saber or conocer. Watch the preterite trap: conocí means 'I met', supe means 'I found out'.

  1. ¿ a qué hora llega el tren? (you, tú - information) (saber, tú)

  2. No a nadie aquí. (I am not acquainted with anyone) (conocer, yo)

  3. a Pedro el año pasado. (I met him for the first time) (conocer, preterite)

  4. la verdad ayer. (I found out the truth) (saber, preterite)

  5. Ya a Pedro; sabía que era de Madrid. (I already knew him - ongoing state) (conocer, imperfect)

  6. ¿ leer bien? (you, tú - a skill) (saber, tú)

  7. Mi madre a tu profesor. (she is acquainted with him) (conocer, ella)

  8. No la respuesta. (we do not know the fact) (saber, nosotros)

Translation drill

0/9

Translate into Spanish, choosing saber or conocer and the correct tense. Keep the personal a before people.

  1. I know how to read.

  2. Do you know my brother?

  3. I don't know where it is.

  4. I met María last year.

  5. He knows this area well.

  6. I know that he lives in Madrid.

  7. Do you know this city?

  8. I found out the truth yesterday.

  9. She knows how to read very well.

Frequently asked questions

What is the core difference between saber and conocer?
Saber is knowing facts, information or how to do something - things you can put into words or perform. Conocer is being acquainted or familiar with a person, a place or a thing. Sé su número (I know his number - a fact, saber) versus conozco a su hermano (I know his brother - acquaintance, conocer). A quick test: if you can rephrase it as 'I know that...', 'I know how to...' or 'I know what/when/where...', use saber. If it is 'I am familiar with...', use conocer.
Why does conocí mean 'I met' and not 'I knew'?
In the preterite, conocer shifts from 'be acquainted with' to the moment that acquaintance began - in other words, 'to meet for the first time'. Conocí a Pedro en Madrid means 'I met Pedro in Madrid', not 'I knew him'. For the ongoing state 'I knew him / was acquainted with him', use the imperfect: conocía a Pedro. Saber does something similar: supe means 'I found out', while sabía means 'I knew'.
What are the irregular yo forms?
Both are irregular only in the first person singular of the present. Saber gives sé (with an accent, to mark it off from the reflexive pronoun se): yo sé. Conocer gives conozco, with a -zc- before the o. The rest of the present is regular: sabes, sabe, sabemos; conoces, conoce, conocemos. The -zc- pattern repeats across many -cer/-cir verbs, so conozco is a useful template.