Saber vs conocer: two verbs for "to know"
You will learn how to choose between two very common verbs: saber and conocer. This matters because Spanish uses them for different kinds of “knowing”: information, skills, or familiarity with people, places, and works. You will also practice useful everyday forms like No sé and ¿Sabes qué?.
The rule
Spanish uses two different verbs for “knowing”, and choosing the right one is essential because it signals what kind of knowledge you mean.
Use saber for information: a fact, an answer, a piece of data you have (or do not have). It is also the normal verb for a short negative reply to a question: “No sé”. In the present tense, one form you must memorize is the irregular first person: “yo sé”. For this lesson, you will also use “tú sabes” and “él, ella, usted sabe”.
At a glance
Present tense: useful forms of saber and conocer
| Persona | saber | conocer |
|---|---|---|
| yo | sé | conozco |
| tú | sabes | conoces |
| él / ella / usted | sabe | conoce |
Heard in real Spanish
Native speakers on YouTube, in videos about something other than grammar. The notion is in pink. Each clip starts a second before the line.
Y necesitas saber cómo vivir, no aquí.
And you need to know how to live, not here.
CHECA No Creía Cómo Celebran una BODA en MÉXICO 🇲🇽😮🇨🇿💥 by Xoque Kultural Clips · Watch on YouTube
Bienvenidos a 20 cosas que no sabías hace 5 minutos.
Welcome to 20 things you didn't know 5 minutes ago.
🧠 ¡20 Datos CURIOSOS y cosas que NO sabías hace 5 minutos! 😱#115 by Ver-Para-Creer · Watch on YouTube
Examples
- No sé.I don’t know.Short reply with saber when you don’t have the information.
- Sé dónde vive Ana.I know where Ana lives.Saber for information, with an embedded question using dónde.
- ¿Sabes qué? Me gusta este libro.You know what? I like this book.¿Sabes qué? is a common way to introduce what you want to say.
What to remember
- Use saber for information or facts: No sé, sé dónde….
- For skills, use saber + infinitive: sé nadar.
- Use conocer for familiarity with a person, a place, or a work.
- With a person, use the personal a: conozco a Ana.
- Irregular forms to memorize: sé and conozco.
Check yourself
1 Choose the correct verb to talk about information.
Yo ___ dónde está Madrid.
- sé
- conozco
- conozco a
- sabe
Show the answer
sé. This is a fact or piece of information, so you use sé (irregular yo form).
2 Fill the blank with the correct form.
___ nadar.
- Sé
- Conozco
- Sabes
- Conoces
Show the answer
Sé. For an ability, Spanish uses saber + infinitive: Sé nadar.
Take the full lesson
“Saber or conocer” in the Streal course: the whole explanation, the quiz, and every YouTube extract picked for it. Free to start, nothing to install. The full lesson goes on with the rest of the explanation and more examples, the common mistakes and the practice quiz.