The difference between ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’ (to know)

In Spanish the verbs ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’ mean ‘to know’. This blog will explain when you should use the different verbs.

Conjugating the verbs ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’ in present tense:

	Saber	Conocer
Yo	Sé	Conozco	I know
Tú	Sabes	Conoces	You know
Él/Ella/Usted	Sabe	Conoce	He/She/You (singular formal) knows
Nosotros	Sabemos	Conocemos	We know
Vosotros	Sabéis	Conocéis	You (plural) know
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Saben	Conocen	They/ You (formal plural) know

 

 

General rules for use of ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’:

 

Saber – To know information/facts and to know skills.

 

Conocer – To know or be familiar with a person, place, thing or idea.

 

When to use the verb ‘saber’:

 

– Dealing with facts and information.

¿Sabes dónde está la gasolinera? – Do you know where the gas station is?

– To know how to do something.

Add the infinitive immediately after the conjugated form of ‘saber.’ Do not add ‘cómo‘ which means ‘how.’

Saber+ infinitive
Yo sé hablar español. – I know how to speak Spanish.

– To know that…

In English you can say ‘I know that he is French’ or ‘I know he is French.’ Whereas in Spanish ‘que’ (that) is always added – Yo sé que él es francés.

Sabemos que están en Guatemala. – We know (that) they are in Guatemala.

When to use the verb ‘conocer’:

 

– To be acquainted with a person.

When talking about knowing another person use the personal ‘a‘ immediately after the conjugated form of ‘conocer’. However, do not use ‘a’ when using an object pronoun.

Yo conozco a Juanita. – I know Juanita

– To be familiar with a place. 

Él conoce Guatemala. – He knows Guatemala.

– To be well versed in an area.

If you have a knowledge about a particular field use the verb ‘conocer’.

Ellos conocen los libros de Shakespeare. – They know about Shakespeare books.

Using the verb ‘conocer’ for ‘to meet’ in Spanish:

 

When  you meet/going to meet someone for the first time use the verb ‘conocer’.

Yo conocí al presidente. – I met the president.

Luisa va a conocer a sus futuros suegros. – Luisa is going to meet her future parents-in-law.

Note: If you are meeting someone who you know or have met before use the verb ‘encontrar‘.

Some uses of ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’ in idiomatic phrases:

Conocer de vista. – To know by sight.

Dar a conocer. – To make it known.

Darse a conocer. – To make oneself known.

No se sabe. – Nobody knows.

¿Quién sabe? – Who knows?

Que yo sepa. – As far as I know.

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