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There are two verbs in Spanish that can cause confusion for English speakers because they are both translated by the same verb - to know:
- Saber (to know)
- Conocer (to know)
In Spanish, these verbs have a different meaning depending on the context.
Learn about the difference between Spanish verbs saber and conocer
SABER
Saber is used to talk about facts, and can be followed by conjunctions like "que" (that) or "si" (if):
It is incorrect to use "conocer" in these cases,
Yo conozco que a veces soy un poco testaruda.
¿Conoces si el supermercado está abierto?
Saber can also be followed by "cuándo", "dónde", "cuál", "quién", "cómo":
We cannot use conocer in these cases either:
¿Conoces cuál es la chaqueta de Julia?
Saber can also be followed by an infinitive, to talk about abilities or skills (that we have learned). In this case its meaning changes to "to know how to do something" and can also be translated as to be able to do something ("I can, you can [do something]):
We still cannot use conocer here:
¿Tú conoces nadar?
CONOCER
Conocer is used to express that you know a place/person. It implies that there has been a previous contact with something or someone, or you are familiar with something.
Be careful because you must use the preposition "a" when you use "conocer" with people, like in the example above. However if you are talking about knowing a place you do not need it.
In these cases, using saber would be incorrect:
¿Sabes a Mariluz?
¿Sabéis el restaurante italiano nuevo? -No, no lo sabemos.
When using conocer in El Pretérito Indefinido or El Pretérito Perfecto the meaning changes to "to meet".
Have a look:
See also:
- Spanish present tense consonant change c > zc in -cer/-cir verbs
- Conjugate saber in the present tense in Spanish (El Presente)
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