conozco/conoces/conoce/conocemos/conocen
Conocer Present Tense
The present tense conjugations of 'conocer' (to know, to be familiar with).
How It Works
The verb conocer means 'to know' in the sense of being acquainted or familiar with someone, something, or a place. It is different from the verb saber, which means 'to know' a fact or how to do something.
Key Uses of Conocer:
1. People: To say you know or are acquainted with a person. When the person is the direct object, you must use the personal 'a'.
Example: Conozco a tu prima. (I know your cousin.)
2. Places: To say you are familiar with a place, like a city, country, or restaurant.
Example: ¿Conoces Barcelona? (Do you know Barcelona? / Have you been to Barcelona?)
3. Things: To express familiarity with things like books, movies, or works of art.
Example: Él conoce muy bien la historia de México. (He knows the history of Mexico very well.)
Remember the 'yo' form is irregular: conozco. The rest of the conjugations follow the pattern for regular -er verbs.
Examples (5)
- Yo conozco a María.
I know Maria.
Word by Word: I know to Maria.
- ¿Conoces este restaurante?
Do you know this restaurant?
Word by Word: Know you this restaurant?
- Él conoce muy bien la ciudad de París.
He knows the city of Paris very well.
Word by Word: He knows very well the city of Paris.
- Nosotros no conocemos esa película.
We don't know that movie.
Word by Word: We not know that movie.
- Ellos conocen a mis padres.
They know my parents.
Word by Word: They know to my parents.
Common Mistakes
Confusing 'conocer' with 'saber'
Yo sé Madrid.Yo conozco Madrid.Use 'conocer' to express familiarity with a place like a city. 'Saber' is used for facts or information (e.g., 'Yo sé dónde está Madrid' - I know where Madrid is).
Forgetting the personal 'a' with people
Conozco Juan.Conozco a Juan.When the direct object of 'conocer' is a specific person, you must place the preposition 'a' before their name or title.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the present tense of 'conocer', you first need to understand subject pronouns to know who the verb refers to. Additionally, since 'conocer' is an -er verb, familiarity with regular -er verb endings provides the foundation for its conjugation, even though it has an irregular first-person singular form (conozco).
Related Patterns
- saber / conocerKnow (Facts vs. Familiarity)
This is the most important related concept. 'Saber' and 'conocer' both mean 'to know', but 'conocer' is for familiarity with people/places, while 'saber' is for facts/skills.
Level 1 - sé/sabes/sabe/sabemos/sabenSaber Present Tense
These are the present tense conjugations for 'saber', the verb most commonly confused with 'conocer'.
Level 1 - aPersonal a
This grammar rule is required when using 'conocer' with a specific person as the direct object (e.g., 'Conozco a María').
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice conozco/conoces/conoce/conocemos/conocen in Bubblegum
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