The Difference Between 'saber' And 'conocer' (to Know)

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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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