A2 · Can, want, must
To know: saber or conhecer
And in the past they stop meaning know and start meaning found out and met.
At a glance
- Remember
- People you meet, answers you learn.
- Form
- (eu) seiI know
- Signal words
- sei
- sabe
- conheço
- conhece
- soube
- Trap
- Wrong:Sei o teu irmão.Right:Conheço o teu irmão.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) person ending
| I know | (eu) sei |
| you know | (tu) sabes |
| he / she knows, you know | (ele / ela / você) sabe |
| we know | (nós) sabemos |
| you know, plural and formal | (vós) sabeis |
| they know, you know (plural) | (eles / elas / vocês) sabem |
| I know (someone) | (eu) conheço |
| you know (someone) | (tu) conheces |
| he / she knows, you know (someone) | (ele / ela / você) conhece |
| we know (someone) | (nós) conhecemos |
| you know (someone), plural and formal | (vós) conheceis |
| they know, you know (someone; plural) | (eles / elas / vocês) conhecem |
| I can swim | sei nadar |
| I am allowed to swim | posso nadar |
| I found out yesterday | soube ontem |
| I met her at a party | conheci-a numa festa |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
saber is knowledge and things learnt.
Não sei onde ele mora.I do not know where he lives.
conhecer is acquaintance.
Conheço bem esta cidade.I know this city well.
saber plus infinitive means « have learnt how ».
Ela sabe tocar piano.She can play the piano.
In the past both change meaning.
Soube ontem que ela mudou de casa.I found out yesterday that she has moved.
Example sentences
Sabes falar francês?Can you speak French?
Não conheço ninguém aqui.I do not know anyone here.
Ele sabe o caminho de cor.He knows the way by heart.
Conheci-o no trabalho.I met him at work.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
A person is known with conhecer and never with saber. Sei o teu irmão is not a sentence — one does not know a human being that way. The other way round: a road or a name can take either, and then it depends on whether you learnt it or met it.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Saber is knowing something or having learnt it: sei a resposta, sei nadar. With an infinitive behind it, it means « can » in the sense of having learnt how.
Conhecer is knowing a person or a place because you have met it: conheço o teu irmão, conheço bem esta cidade. English has one verb where these are two, which is the ordinary half of the lesson.
The half worth the page is what happens in the past, where neither of them means « know » any more. Soubeis « I found out »conheciis « I met » Soube ontem does not mean « I knew yesterday » — it means the knowing began yesterday. English changes verb entirely to say this; Portuguese changes tense.
The difference from poder lies in the second half: sei nadar is « I can swim, I learnt how »; posso nadar is « I am allowed to swim, it is possible for me ».
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 48 · The reflexive verbsBack to the learning path
The verbs on this page, in every form: saber · conhecer · falar · tocar