Conocer vs. Saber
What is the difference between conocer and saber..? Also, how do you use each in a sentence?
2 Answers
When it comes to knowing, as in being acquainted or familiar with, a person, a place or an object you use conocer.
Conozco a Juan. I know John. (I'm acquainted with him.)
No conozco Paris. I don't know Paris. (I haven't been there.)
When it's used in the preterite tense conocer can also mean 'to meet' -
Conocí a mi novio en Managua. I met my boyfriend in Nicaragua.
Ellos se conocieron hace cinco años They met five years ago.
But when you speak of knowing facts or information about someone or something or knowing how to do something you use saber.
¿Sabes nadar? Do you know how to swim?
Ella no sabe nada. She doesn't know anything.
Some useful sayings using these two verbs are:
Más vale malo conocido que bueno por conocer. = Better the devil you know.
Nunca te acostarás sin saber una cosa más. = You learn something new every day. / Live and learn.
a saber = namely, for instance
hacer saber = let someone know (eg. te lo hago saber = I'm letting you know)
conocer en persona = meet in person
conocer al dedillo = to know by heart
conocer palmo a palmo = to know like the palm of one's hand
conocer de vista = to know by sight
No sé qué hacer. = I don't know what to do.
morirse por saber algo = to be dying to know something
No sabes aguantar una broma. = You don't know how to take a joke.
No saber ni jota (o papa) de algo = to not have a clue about something
No se sabe = nobody knows
Para que lo sepas = so that you know, for your information
que yo sepa — as far as I know
¿Quién sabe? = Who knows?
Según mi leal saber y entender = to the best of my knowledge
Vete (tú) a saber = goodness knows, beats me, figure it out
Oh and I forgot to mention that in the pretérito, saber can mean to learn or to find out:
Supieron el secreto ayer. They learnt/found out the secret yesterday.
