Saber vs.

Conocer
To Know
Saber vs. Conocer
In Spanish, there are two verbs that express
the idea "to know." These two verbs are
"saber" and "conocer."
The verb you choose depends upon the
context in which it is used.
These verbs are not interchangeable
Conjugations
Both verbs are irregular in the YO form
Saber

Yo s

T sabes

l sabe

Nosotros sabemos

Ellos saben
Conocer

Yo conozco

T conoces

l conoce

Nosotros conocemos

Ellos conocen
Basic rules
saber
to know a fact, to know something thoroughly,
to know how to do something

conocer
to be acquainted with a person, place, or thing
Saber
To express knowledge or ignorance of a fact or
information about something, use "saber."
Juan sabe donde est Mara.
Juan knows where Maria is.
Yo no s tu nmero de telfono.
I don't know your telephone number.
Saber
To say that you know something by heart, use
saber.

Mara sabe los verbos irregulares.
Maria knows the irregular verbs (by heart).
Ella no sabe la letra de esa cancin.
She doesn't know the words to that song.

saber + infinitive
To express knowledge or ignorance of a skill,
or how to do something, use saber + infinitive.

Mara sabe conducir.
Maria knows how to drive.

No s nadar muy bien.
I don't know how to swim very well.
Conocer
To say that one is or is not acquainted with a
person, a place, or an object, use conocer.

Yo no conozco a Mara.
I don't know (am not acquainted with) Maria.

Alberto y Alfredo conocen Madrid.
Alberto and Alfredo know (are acquainted
with) Madrid.

Saber Vs. Conocer
To express knowledge or ignorance of a subject
or learning discipline, use saber or conocer,
depending upon the context.

Juan no sabe nada de ingls.
Juan doesn't know any English.

l sabe matemticas.
He knows mathematics.

Juan conoce la literatura espaola.
Juan is familiar with Spanish literature.

practicamos
Yo ____________a Juan. Somos muy amigos.
I know Juan. We're good friends.
Busco el libro. _________ usted dnde est?
I'm looking for the book. Do you know where it is?
Tengo que llamar a Mara. __________ (t) su
nmero de telfono?
I have to call Maria. Do you know her phone number?
Pablo es nio. No ____________conducir.
Pablo is a child. He doesn't know how to drive.
Quiere hablar bien el espaol? Es necesario
___________ los verbos irregulares.
Do you want to speak Spanish well? You must know (by
heart) the irregular verbs. (hint: use the infinitive)
conozco
Sabe
Sabes
Sabe
Saber
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