I know Paris really well.
The verb conocer means “to know” or “to meet” in English. It is a very common verb and is used on a regular basis in Spanish conversation. Conocer is a regular verb with a few spelling changes to maintain sound.
Conocer Vs. Saber
Conocer is often confused with the verb saber which also means, “to know” in English.
When to use conocer:
- When one is familiar with or acquainted with a person, place, or thing
- Yo conozco París muy bien. → I know Paris really well.
- No conozco al hermano de Sara. → I don’t know Sara’s brother.
- When people meet for the first time
- Nos conocemos hace cinco años. → We met five years ago
- Los conocí en la fiesta de Juan. → I met them at Juan’s party.
When to use saber:
- To express the knowledge of facts
- No sé dónde están mis llaves. → I don’t know where my keys are.
- ¿Sabes cuántos años tiene María? → Do you know how old Maria is?
- To express knowledge of subjects or fields of study
- Los estudiantes saben la ciencia. → The students know science.
- ¿Vosotros sabéis algo de alemán? → Do you guys know a little German?
- To express the knowledge of how to do something
- Ella sabe bailar el ballet. → She knows how to dance ballet.
- Edgar y Pepe saben cocinar. → Edgar and Pepe know how to cook.
Idioms With the Verb Conocer
Here are some common idioms that you may hear with the verb conocer.
- conocer palmo a palmo → to know like the back of one’s hand
- He viajado por toda España. La conozco palmo a palmo. →I have traveled all over Spain. I know it like the back of my hand.
- conocer a alguien cara a cara → to meet face-to-face
- Me gusta conocer a mis clientes cara a cara. → I like to meet my clients face to face.
- dar a conocer → to announce, to make known
- La compañía dio a conocer que iban a cerrar sus puertas. → The company announced that they were going to close their doors.
Conjugations
In the present tense “yo” form (or “I” form), -zco is added to the end to maintain the correct sound. Apart from this small modification, conocer is conjugated regularly in all other indicative forms.
Present
|
Yo |
conozco |
Nosotros/as |
conocemos |
|
Tu |
conoces |
Vosotros/as |
conocéis |
|
El/Ella/Ud. |
conoce |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
conocen |
Example Sentence:
- Conocen Guatemala porque vivieron cuatro años allá. → They know/are familiar with Guatemala because they lived there for four years.
Imperfect
|
Yo |
conocía |
Nosotros/as |
conocíamos |
|
Tu |
conocías |
Vosotros/as |
conocíais |
|
El/Ella/Ud. |
conocía |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
conocían |
Example Sentence:
- Antes, yo conocía el Museo de Louvre pero hace tiempo que lo he visitado. → I used to be familiar with the Louvre Museum but it’s been a long time since I’ve visited.
Preterite
|
Yo |
conocí |
Nosotros/as |
conocimos |
|
Tu |
conociste |
Vosotros/as |
conocisteis |
|
El/Ella/Ud. |
conoció |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
conocieron |
Example Sentence:
- ¿Os conocisteis en Nueva York, verdad? → You guys met each other in New York, right?
Future
|
Yo |
conoceré |
Nosotros/as |
conoceremos |
|
Tu |
conocerás |
Vosotros/as |
conoceréis |
|
El/Ella/Ud. |
conocerá |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
conocerán |
Example Sentence:
- Un día conocerás al hombre de tus sueños. → One day, you will meet the man of your dreams.
Conditional
|
Yo |
conocería |
Nosotros/as |
conoceríamos |
|
Tu |
conocerías |
Vosotros/as |
conoceríais |
|
El/Ella/Ud. |
conocería |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
conocerían |
Example Sentence:
- Si tuviera el dinero, iría a Londres y conocería todos sus rincones. → If I had the money, I would go to London and see/discover all of its corners.
Conocer can be one of the trickiest verbs to use correctly in Spanish due to its confusion with the verb saber. But through listening closely to its use between native speakers and a little practice, using conocer correctly will become second nature.