{"id":137556,"date":"2024-01-19T17:19:59","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T22:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/conocer-vs-saber\/"},"modified":"2025-02-17T11:09:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T16:09:03","slug":"conocer-vs-saber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/conocer-vs-saber\/","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between Saber vs. Conocer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know when to use saber <\/em>and when to use conocer <\/em>in Spanish? You may think that they are the same\u2014after all, they both translate as to know<\/em> in English.<\/p>\n

So how do you choose the correct word to use?\u00a0I’ll cover how saber <\/em>vs.<\/em> conocer<\/em> are used in context and how their meanings differ.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Difference Between Saber<\/em> and Conocer<\/em><\/h2>\n

While saber<\/em> and conocer<\/em><\/strong> both translate to to know<\/em>, they do\u00a0not\u00a0mean exactly the same thing<\/strong> and are used for very different purposes.<\/p>\n

Saber<\/em> is more related to knowledge and ability whereas conocer<\/em> refers to being familiar or acquainted with someone or something.<\/p>\n

Of course, it can get a little more complicated than that, so let’s cover both verbs in more detail.<\/p>\n

How to Use Saber<\/em><\/h2>\n

We normally translate saber<\/em> as to know<\/em> in English, but if you want to be more accurate, you should translate it as to be able to<\/em>, to know how to<\/em> or to have knowledge or info about something<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conjugating Saber<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
yo<\/td> s\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
t\u00fa<\/td> sabes <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00e9l\/ella\/usted<\/td> sabe <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
nosotros\/nosotras<\/td> sabemos <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vosotros\/vosotras<\/td> sab\u00e9is <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ellos\/ellas\/ustedes<\/td> saben <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Use saber <\/em>in the following situations:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Talking about people’s skills and know-how<\/h3>\n

Do you want to boast about how many languages you can speak or how well you can play the piano? Use saber!<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the correct verb<\/a> to use when you need to talk about a learned ability or skill.<\/p>\n

As you can see in the English translations, the best translation for saber\u00a0<\/em>in these cases is can\/be able to<\/em>:<\/p>\n

S\u00e9<\/strong> hablar espa\u00f1ol. <\/em>(I can speak Spanish.)<\/p>\n

No s\u00e9<\/strong> tocar la guitarra. <\/em>(I can’t play the guitar.)<\/p>\n

Mi padre sabe<\/strong> contar hasta 100 en chino.<\/em>\u00a0(My father can count to 100 in Chinese.)<\/p>\n

Talking about or asking for information<\/h3>\n

If you want to know when the plane lands, tell someone what time a film starts or get info about a person<\/a>, use this verb.<\/p>\n

It will normally be translated as to know<\/em> in English:<\/p>\n

\u00bfSabes<\/strong> a qu\u00e9 hora aterriza el avi\u00f3n? <\/em>(Do you know what time the plane lands?)<\/p>\n

No s\u00e9<\/strong> por qu\u00e9 Ana no ha venido. <\/em>(I don’t know why Ana hasn’t come.)<\/p>\n

Solo s\u00e9<\/strong> que la pel\u00edcula empieza a las dos. <\/em>(All I know is that the movie starts at two PM.)<\/p>\n

\u00bfSabes<\/strong> de d\u00f3nde es Pedro? <\/em>(Do you know where Pedro is from?)<\/p>\n

Talking about facts<\/h3>\n

It does not matter if these facts are scientific or gossip about your favorite actor. Or maybe you just have some bits of trivia to impress your friends.<\/p>\n

If you have facts, use saber<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In this case, the best way to translate saber <\/em>is to know (for a fact)<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u00bfSabes<\/strong> que la Luna es un sat\u00e9lite? <\/em>(Do you know the Moon is a satellite?)<\/p>\n

\u00bfSab\u00edas<\/strong> que Henry Cavill est\u00e1 soltero? <\/em>(Did you know Henry Cavill is single?)<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda dice que sabe<\/strong> cu\u00e1ntos granos de arena hay en el S\u00e1hara. <\/em>(Mar\u00eda says she knows how many sand grains there are in the Sahara Desert.)<\/p>\n

How to Use Conocer<\/em><\/h2>\n

The best way of translating conocer <\/em>into English would be to be familiar or acquainted with<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conjugating Conocer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
yo<\/td> conozco <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
t\u00fa<\/td> conoces <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00e9l\/ella\/usted<\/td> conoce <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
nosotros\/nosotras<\/td> conocemos <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vosotros\/vosotras<\/td> conoc\u00e9is <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ellos\/ellas\/ustedes<\/td> conocen <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Have a look at the situations when you should use it:<\/p>\n

To say you are acquainted with a person<\/h3>\n

This is also true when you are talking about getting to know someone and meeting someone for the first time.<\/a><\/p>\n

Translate conocer\u00a0<\/em>as to know<\/em>, to get to know<\/em>\u00a0or to meet<\/em>, in this case:<\/p>\n

…Y as\u00ed es como conoc\u00ed<\/strong> a vuestra madre. <\/em>(…And that’s how I met your mother.)<\/p>\n

\u00a1Encantado de conocerte!<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(Nice to meet you!)<\/p>\n

Conozco<\/strong> a John desde hace 10 a\u00f1os. <\/em>(I have known John for 10 years.)<\/p>\n

Quiero conocerte<\/strong> mejor. <\/em>(I want to get to know you better.)<\/p>\n

If you know (or don’t know) a place<\/h3>\n

Have you ever been to South America? Do you know a little bar your friends would be delighted to visit? Do you know your city like the palm of your hand?<\/p>\n

Use conocer,<\/em> then!<\/p>\n

In these situations, the best translation in English would simply be to know (a place)<\/em> or to have been (somewhere)<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Conozco<\/strong> muy bien Espa\u00f1a. <\/em>(I know Spain very well.)<\/p>\n

\u00bfConoces<\/strong> Barcelona? <\/em>(Do you know Barcelona?\/Have you ever been to Barcelona?)<\/p>\n

Juan conoce<\/strong> su ciudad como la palma de su mano. <\/em>(Juan knows his city like the palm of his hand.)<\/p>\n

Conozco<\/strong> un restaurante que te va a encantar. <\/em>(I know a restaurant you will love.)<\/p>\n

Having knowledge of something<\/h3>\n

If you know a book because you have read it or you know a movie very well because it’s your favorite, use this verb.<\/p>\n

The easiest way of translating this verb would be to know (about something)<\/em>, to be acquainted with (something)<\/em>\u00a0and sometimes to have seen\/read (something)<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Conozco<\/strong> esa marca de caf\u00e9. <\/em>(I know that brand of coffee.)<\/p>\n

No conozco<\/strong> ese libro. \u00bfDe qu\u00e9 va? <\/em>(I don’t know that book. What’s it about?)<\/p>\n

\u00bfConoces<\/strong> mi casa de verano? <\/em>(Do you know my summer house? \/ Have you seen my summer house?)<\/p>\n

Understanding these differences on paper is an important step, but what will really solidify these meanings in your head is when you’ve heard them used in context in actual Spanish speech.<\/p>\n

YouTube<\/a> can be a great resource for getting this necessary exposure to these verbs.<\/p>\n

There are lessons like the video below, where conocer\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0saber\u00a0<\/em>are explained in a lesson format, so you can hear them explained in English with Spanish examples:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

But you can also hear verbs like\u00a0saber\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0conocer<\/em> used in native Spanish content like news reports or music videos. This is arguably the best way to get used to these verbs because they’re being used in a natural and casual context.<\/p>\n

But you can’t necessarily always tell which native content will contain the vocab you need to learn.<\/p>\n

However, a video-based language learning program like FluentU<\/a> lets you learn Spanish with a library of native videos.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

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