If your mission is how to learn to speak Spanish fluently, it’s important to understand “saber” vs “conocer” and the differences between these two verbs. Both of these verbs can be translated as “to know” in English, but there are differences and nuances to each when it comes to the uses.
If you’re taking Spanish lessons, whether that’s online Spanish classes or in-person Spanish courses in Madrid, you’ll learn all the fine details of “conocer” vs “saber” in the classes. Here, in this blog post, we’ll go over the basics so that you can begin to understand the difference between “saber” and “conocer” already.
The meaning of “saber” in Spanish is “to know”, used when talking about facts, about information or about how to do something. In other words, if you know something intellectually or have knowledge of a subject, then “saber” is the verb you would use.
The meaning of “conocer” in Spanish is “to know”, used when you’re familiar with or acquainted with a person, with a place or, on occasion, with a thing. In other words, if you have met someone, been to a place or had a first-hand experience of a thing, then “conocer” is the verb you would use in this situation.
Let’s delve deeper into when to use “saber” in Spanish and when to use “conocer” in Spanish. We’ll take a look at the different kinds of things you can know and which one of “saber” vs “conocer” would be used in each of these situations.
When to use Saber in Spanish
When to use Conocer in Spanish
✍️Remember: saber is used when you talk about facts, skills, or information—things you know. Conocer is for people, places, or things you are familiar with, or when you meet someone for the first time.
| Type of knowledge / Situation | Correct verb | Quick example (Spanish) | English meaning |
| Fact or piece of information | saber | Sé la respuesta. | I know the answer. |
| How to do something (saber + infinitive) | saber | ¿Sabes conducir? | Do you know how to drive? |
| Things you know (general knowledge) | saber | Ella sabe mucho de historia. | She knows a lot about history. |
| Knowing a person (conocer + * a*) | conocer | Conozco a María. | I know María. |
| Being familiar with a place | conocer | ¿Conoces Sevilla? | Do you know (are you familiar with) Seville? |
| First‑hand experience / familiarity | conocer | Conoce bien el vino español. | He/She knows Spanish wine well. |
Of these, knowing how to do something is perhaps one of the most common uses and a useful tip is that if “to know” is followed by another verb, such as “to swim” or “to cook” or “to sing”, then you’ll probably be using“saber” in this situation. Another common rule to keep in mind is that if “to know” is followed by a person or a place, you’ll almost always be using “conocer”.
✍️Mini‑tip: “If you can replace ‘meet’ or ‘be familiar with,’ use conocer; if it’s about ‘knowing a fact/skill,’ use saber.”
Now that you know when to use “saber” and when to use “conocer” in Spanish, let’s start understanding exactly how to use these verbs. Of course, you’ll learn the full conjugations of these verbs in your Spanish classes, but here you have the simple present tense conjugation of “saber” so that you can start using it in your conversations.
| English | Spanish | Spanish pronunciation |
| I know | sé | seh |
| You know | sabes | sah-bes |
| He/She knows | sabe | sah-beh |
| We know | sabemos | sah-beh-mohs |
| You (plural) know | sabéis | sah-bays |
| They know | saben | sah-ben |
As for some examples of using “saber” in a sentence, here we have some examples for both knowing a fact and for knowing how to do something.
Knowing a Fact:
Knowing How to Do Something:
Moving on to“conocer”, here is the full table for the simple present tense conjugation of “conocer”.
| English | Spanish | Spanish pronunciation |
| I know | conozco | koh-nohs-koh |
| You know | conoces | koh-noh-ses |
| He/She knows | conoce | koh-noh-seh |
| We know | conocemos | koh-noh-seh-mohs |
| You (plural) know | conocéis | koh-noh-says |
| They know | conocen | koh-noh-sen |
Let’s look at a few examples of using “conocer” in a sentence, with a mix of examples for knowing a person, knowing a place and knowing something first-hand.
Now, let’s put your knowledge to the test! Below are 15 sentences in English. Your task is to translate them into Spanish, and decide whether to use saber or conocer. Fill in the blanks accordingly.
Take your time and think about whether the sentence is talking about a fact, skill, or ability (use saber) or people, places, or meeting someone (use conocer).
Answers:
In conclusion, it’s so important to understand the difference between “saber” and “conocer” if you want to sound like a natural Spanish speaker. It’s very similar to understanding “ser” vs “estar” in Spanish in terms of coming across as natural, while you might also want to check out our guide for “Bien” vs “bueno”: When to use “bien” and “bueno” in Spanish. If you can get the hang of these similar words with similar meanings, and begin using them in the perfectly correct contexts, you’ll be viewed as a fluent Spanish speaker in no time!
