Saber or conocer?

by Alba Castro

Conocer

To know or meet a person

Conozco a Sabela desde hace siete años - I've known Sabela for 7 years.

Conocí a Marcos cuando tenía 12 años -I met Marcos when I was 12 years old.

To be familiar or aware of something

¿Conoces ese restaurante? - Do you know that restaurant?

With this case, we have some confusing situations:

The following sentences are a good example of this, so it's good to be aware of them:

"Conozco los hechos" - I'm aware of the facts

"Conozco/sé la verdad" - I'm familiar with the truth/ I know the truth

"Conozco/sé la historia" - I'm familiar with the story/ I know the story

"Conozco/sé la información" - I'm familiar with the information / I know the information.

Saber

Knowing a fact or information

As we saw, we sometimes can use saber and then a noun (Saber la historia) but usually this is the structure we find with saber.

  • Saber + qué, cómo, dónde, quién.. + action (To know what, how, where, who.... )

Sé donde viven y a qué hora llegan a casa - I know where they live and at what time they arrive home

¿Sabes cómo pintar una habitación? - Do you know how to paint a room?

  • Saber + si + action (To know if...)

No sé si comprar la chaqueta roja o la blanca - I don't know if buying the red or the white jacket

or

  • Saber + el que,lo que,la que... + action (to know what/which one to ...)

Sé lo que quieres por su cumpleaños - I know what you want for your birthday

Bueno, yo sé la que yo compraría - - Well I know which one I'd buy.

Ability

Vamos al lago, ¿sabes nadar? - We're going to the lake, can you swim? / do you know how to swim?

No sé cocinar muy bien - I can't cook very well /I don't know how to cook very well

Practice

Fill in the gap with the right verb:

  • Él ______ (sabe/conoce) arreglar la lavadora - He can fix the washing machine.

  • Debemos _______ (saber/ conocer) toda la información antes de actuar - We must know all the information.

  • Podré ________ (saber/ conocer) a tu familia - I will be able to meet your family.

  • No ___ (sé /conozco) qué hacer - I don't know what to do.

  • ___________ (sé / conozco) a Laura desde la universidad - I know Laura since university.

  • No ________ (saben/conocen) toda la historia - They don't know the whole story.

  • Mi hermana no _______ (sabe/ conoce) si mudarse de casa o no - My sister doesn't know if moving house or not.

Sol: sabe/both/conocer/sé/conozco/both/sabe

Hope that helps!

¡Hasta pronto! :)