Saber or conocer for: do you know this group?

Question

I know that conocer is to know people and saber is to know information but what if you're talking about a celebrity, and I want to ask "Do you know them?" They don't know as in met them, but they've heard of them... do I use saber or conocer, or neither?

I asked my Honduran friend if she knew Jorge Posada, and got into a conversation about him, and I said I've been a Yankee fan since I was a child and I've known Posada since then. (This conversation was in Spanish) And she asked if I got a picture with him... so, she thought I met him, and I didn't know how to explain it to her in Spanish, but I would just like to know for the future

Thank you

Peace Love The Beatles

Erin

Answer 1

I would say: ¿Sabes quién es?

Answer 2

saber vs conocer

I'd go with saber in this context as it has the nuance of mental knowledge (know about) rather than the nuances based on past experiences (I have met, have spoken to, etc.), but you're correct that the lines blur in contexts with people.

It doesn't help when articles like the one here use the term "to be acquainted with someone" for conocer, because we often say in English that "I am acquainted with the facts" where saber would probably be used in Spanish.

"saber" works just fine but don't forget the "de" (to know about). - samdie, Sep 2, 2009

Answer 3

Hi Erin, just don't put all the question in the title the next time, thanks.

To avoid confusion:

Sé quienes son. ( I know who they are, I know them)

Los conozco (this could mean you actually met them, yes.)

Answer 4

In the spanish world, he could be refered to as "uno de los mas conocidos del mundo" so in that way, he's a conocido.