Both the verbs
saber and
conocer mean
to know, but they are not interchangeable in the Spanish language.
Saber is used to mean
to know information, facts, or how to do something. It is conjugated as follows, and is pretty regular with the exception of the first person singular (the
yo form):
saber | to know |
yo sé | nosotros sabemos |
tú sabes | vosotros sabéis |
él, ella, Ud. sabe | ellos, ellas, Uds. saben |
¿Sabes que España ganó la Copa Mundial? Do you know that Spain won the World Cup?
Muriel sabe que la leche viene de las vacas. Muriel knows that milk comes from cows.
Sé tocar la guitarra muy bien. I know how to play the guitar very well.
In the preterit,
saber means
to find out:
Mis padres supieron que ya nos casamos. My parents found out that we already got married.
The verb
conocer means
to know as in a person, place, or thing. It takes on the significance of "being familiar" with someone or something. The conjugation is regular with the exception of the
yo form.
conocer | to know |
yo conozco | nosotros conocemos |
tú conoces | vosotros conocéis |
él, ella, Ud. conoce | ellos, ellas, Uds. conocen |
A lot of times, the verb
conocer is accompanied by a personal "a":
Miguel conoce a Adriana. Miguel knows Adriana.
Nosotros conocemos la ciudad de Bogotá muy bien. We know(are familiar with) the city of Bogotá very well.
Like
saber, the verb
conocer means something a little different in the preterit tense. It signifies "to meet":
Yo conocí a Maribel el año pasado. I met Maribel last year.
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