A2 · The present tense
saber or conocer?
You know a fact; you are acquainted with a person.
English has one verb, «to know», for both, which is why the choice has to be made consciously here. Saber is for facts, skills and anything you could put in a subordinate clause. Conocer is for acquaintance with people, places and works.
Rule of thumb: saber is followed by a clause, a question word or an infinitive. Conocer is followed by a noun — and with people by the personal a.
Both are irregular in the first person only: sé and conozco. The rest is regular.
Die Form
| saber, I | sé |
| saber, the rest | sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben |
| conocer, I | conozco |
| conocer, the rest | conoces, conoce, conocemos, conocéis, conocen |
| saber + infinitive | Sé nadar. |
| conocer + person | Conozco a tu hermana. |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
saber goes before a clause, a question word or an infinitive.
No sé dónde está.I do not know where he is.
conocer goes before a noun — a person, a place or a work.
¿Conoces Sevilla?Do you know Seville?
saber plus infinitive is «to be able to» in the sense of having learnt.
Sabe tocar el piano.He can play the piano.
Before a person conocer takes the personal a.
Conozco a Marta desde niña.I have known Marta since she was a child.
Woran man es erkennt
- sé que
- no sé
- sabes dónde
- conoces a
- conocer bien
Beispielsätze
Sé que tienes razón.I know you are right.
No conozco esta ciudad.I do not know this city.
¿Sabes conducir?Can you drive?
Conocemos a sus padres.We know his parents.
Noch 6 Beispielsätze
¿Sabes a qué hora sale el tren?Do you know what time the train leaves?
Conoce muy bien el norte de España.He knows the north of Spain very well.
No sabía que estabas aquí.I did not know you were here.
¿Conocéis esa novela?Do you know that novel?
Sabemos lo que hacemos.We know what we are doing.
Me gustaría conocer a tu familia.I would like to meet your family.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
For «I can swim» poder gets picked: Puedo nadar. That means «I am allowed to swim» or «I am in a position to right now». Somebody who has learnt it says Sé nadar. It is the same difference as between «I can play the piano» and «I can get to a piano today».
saber before a clause and an infinitive, conocer before a noun — and a learnt skill is saber.
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