Saber & Conocer

Saber & 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.

Conjugation of “saber” “To know” Yo sé = I know Nosotros/nosotras sabemos (Tú) sabes = you know -- Ella / él / usted sabe Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes saben

To express knowledge or ignorance of a fact or information about something, use “saber.” Juan sabe donde está María. Juan knows where María is. (Why is there no accent mark on “donde”?) Yo no sé tu número de teléfono. I don’t know your phone number.

Conjugation of “Conocer” “To know” (Yo) conozco (Nosotros / nosotras) conocemos (Tú) conoces -- (él / ella / usted) conoce (ellos / ellas / ustedes) conocen

To say that one is or is not acquainted with a person, a place, or an object, use conocer. Yo no conozco a María. I don’t know María. (i.e. “I am not acquainted with María.”) Alberto y Alfredo conocen Madrid. Alberto and Alfredo know Madrid. (i.e. “they are acquainted with the city of Madrid”.)

To express knowledge or ignorance of a subject or learning discipline, use saber or conocer, depending upon the context. Juan no sabe nada de inglés. Juan doesn’t know any English. Él sabe matemáticas. He knows mathematics. Juan conoce la literatura española. Juan is familiar with Spanish literature.

To express knowledge or ignorance of a skill, or how to do something, use saber + infinitive. María sabe conducir. María knows how to drive. No sé nadar muy bien. I don’t know how to swim very well.

To say that you know something by heart, use saber. María sabe los verbos irregulares. María knows the irregular verbs (by heart). Ella no sabe la letra de esa canción. She doesn’t know the lyrics to that song.

The situation with regards to the correct use of saber and conocer can be summarized as follows: 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.

The verbs “pedir” & “preguntar” The same sort of situation exists with respect to the two Spanish verbs pedir and preguntar. They both mean “to ask” but they are not interchangeable. Fortunately, the rules for using them are a bit more straightforward:

pedir: to ask for, or request an object, service or favor Pido más carne ........ I ask for more meat. Pedimos ahora ......... We order now (ask for service). Pido, pides, pide, pedimos, piden

preguntar: to ask a question, or request information Pregunto qué hora es…….... I ask what time it is. Preguntamos a qué hora sirven la cena……........... We ask what time they serve dinner. Pregunto, preguntas, pregunta, preguntamos, preguntan

Práctica: A. Write the correct verb form, based upon the context of the sentence. 1. Busco el libro. ¿ _______ usted dónde está? I’m looking for the book. Do you know where it is?

2. Pablo es niño. No _____ conducir. Pablo is a child. He doesn’t know how to drive. 3. _____ los cuadros de Picasso. Nos gustan. We are familiar with Picasso’s paintings. We like them.

4. Ud. y Humberto no _____ bien Acapulco. Es su primera vez en México. You and Humberto aren’t familiar with Acapulco. It’s your first time to Mexico.

5. Ella es una amiga suya. Ud. _____ que es una señorita inteligente. She is your friend. You know she’s an intelligent young lady.

6. Vivo en una choza. No _____ la música moderna. I live in a shack. I’m not familiar with modern music.

7. Vamos a _____ el dinero. We are going to ask for the money. [hint: infinitive use?]

8. Voy a _____ a qué hora cierran las puertas. I’m going to ask what time they close the doors.

9. María _____ cuándo empieza la fiesta. Maria asks when the party begins. 10. El chico le _____ a la chica ¿cuál es tu número de teléfono? The boy asks the girl, “what is your phone number?”

11. Yo _________________ a Juan. Somos muy amigos. I know Juan. We are very good friends. 12. Tengo que llamar a María. _________ (tú) su número de téléfono? I have to call María. Do you know her phone number?

13. ¿Quiere hablar bien el español 13. ¿Quiere hablar bien el español? Es necesario __________ los verbos irregulares. Do you want to speak Spanish well? You must know (by heart) the irregular verbs. [Hint: Use the infinitive].

14. Pregunta a Juan. Él _________ los resultados. Ask Juan. He knows the results. 15. Tengo que ir. ¿ _________ (tú) la hora? I have to go. Do you know what time it is?

16. El hombre es genio. __________ que dos más dos son cuatro. The man is a genius. He knows that two plus two are four. 17. Son bilingües. __________ hablar español e inglés. They are bilingual. They know how to speak Spanish and English.

18. Vamos a __________________ el dinero. We are going to ask for the money. 19. Juan ______________ más comida. Juan is asking for more food. 20. Los niños siempre _________ regalos. The children always ask for presents.