Saber and Conocer Both saber and conocer mean
Saber and Conocer
Both “saber” and “conocer” mean “to know. ” But before we look at the difference, let’s look at the conjugation of these two verbs, since both are irregular in the first person singular. If I ask you how to say, “I know, ” you might not know. But if I ask you how to say, “I don’t know, ” you probably remember that from high school (if you had Spanish): No sé.
Here’s the conjugation of saber: sé sabes sabemos sabéis saben And here’s the conjugation of conocer: conozco conoces conocemos conocéis conocen Note that only the first person singular form is irregular.
Saber and conocer aren’t nearly as hard as ser and estar. “Conocer” means to know a person. Conozco a tus padres. – I know your parents. Conozco a Juan. – I know Juan. Lo conozco. – I know him. Conozco al médico. – I know the doctor. What’s that pesky little “a” doing in there? We’ll get to that in a minute.
“Conocer” also means to be familiar with a place: Conozco Atlanta. -- I’m familiar with Atlanta. I know Atlanta. Conozco el país. – I’m familiar with the country. I know the country. Conozco los jardines botánicos. – I’m familiar with the botanical gardens. I know the botanical gardens.
“Saber” means to know information. Sé la fecha. – I know the date. Sé tu número de teléfono. – I know your phone number. No sé si vienen. – I don’t know if they’re coming. Sé que estudias mucho. – I know you study a lot. Sé dónde vives. – I know where you live. Sé quién es el presidente. -- I know who the president is.
Warning, warning!!!!! Students tend to confuse “I know who he is” – Sé quién es. with “I know him. ” – Lo conozco. There’s a big difference between “I know who the U. S. president is” and “I know the U. S. president. ” One is information; the other is actually knowing the person.
In summary: “Conocer” means to know a person or be familiar with a place. “Saber” means to know information or to know how to do something.
Remember that “a” that appeared with “conocer” sometimes? Conozco a tus padres. – I know your parents. Conozco a Juan. – I know Juan. Conozco al médico. – I know the doctor. Note that there’s no “a” in these sentences: Conozco Atlanta. -- I’m familiar with Atlanta. Conozco el país. – I’m familiar with the country. Conozco los jardines botánicos. – I’m familiar with the botanical gardens. Whenever the direct object is a person, you get “a” in front of it. If it’s a thing rather than a person, there’s no “a. ” This happens not just with “conocer” but with ANY verb, with the exception of “tener”: Ves a tu hermano. Ayudo a mis amigos. Necesita a su madre. Tengo una hermana.
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