Using saber or conocer ?

Question

Hi everyone

Saber and Conocer both mean to know, I am wondering should I say "Yo no te se" or "Yo no te conozco" if I want to say " I don't know you" or can I say both

Thanks

"Saber and conocer both mean to know" - ray76, Aug 17, 2016

Yea, thanks Ray - danghuynh, Aug 18, 2016

No Dang i was correcting your English , the "are " is superfluous . - ray76, Aug 18, 2016

ah ha thanks mate, see that now :D - danghuynh, Aug 18, 2016

I will change it for you mate. - ray76, Aug 18, 2016

Answer 1

Saber is to know facts or know how to do something.

Pedro sabe hablar francés. Pete knows how to speak French.

Sabemos esta canción de memoria. We know this song by heart.

Pobre Teresa, no sabe la lección de español para mañana. --Poor Teresa, she doesn't know the Spanish lesson for tomorrow.

Conocer, on the other hand means to know people or be familiar with places

No conozco a Luis. I don't know Luis.

No conozco ese restaurante chino. I'm not familiar with that Chinese restaurant.

In the infinitive it means "to meet" No lo conozco pero lo quiero conocer. I don't know him but I want to meet him.

In the preterit it also means to meet Conocí a mi mejor amiga hace cinco años. --I met by best friend five years ago.

To say that I "knew" someone in the past, use the imperfect tense.

"¿Alonso? lo conocía bien" --"Alonso, I knew him well."

Great lesson again Feisty. How can I say. I have no knowledge of knowing you .-No tengo conocimiento de saber te. or what ? - ray76, Aug 17, 2016

Literally: no tengo el(la) conocimiento (noción) de conocerte. Idiomatically: no recuerdo haberte conocido. - Oshnaj, Aug 17, 2016

Desde que te conocí, sé más español, gracias. - jrschenk, Aug 18, 2016

Gracias a todos. :) - Daniela2041, Aug 18, 2016

Answer 2

You can only use the last one " (Yo) No te conozco".

Saber is to have knowledge of something.

Conocer is to be familiar with someone.

Good answer mate. - ray76, Aug 17, 2016

Answer 3

Just checking to see if I have a handle on the usage of these two verbs.

---

¿Quién sabe qué puede ocurrir ? Ese sabio puede saber.

Lo conozco bien

Who knows what can happen? That wise man may know.

.I know him well..

Ray, good try mate Ese sabio (the word man is implied here you don't need both sabio and hombre) ;) - FELIZ77, Aug 18, 2016

sabio = wise man ;) I would also say: Who knows what could happen? = ¿Quién sabe qué podría ocurrir? - FELIZ77, Aug 18, 2016

Thank you feliz, I have to keep practicing or it will all fade away from my feeble old brain. - ray76, Aug 18, 2016

You have certainly understood which verb to use to know a person or a place! :) - FELIZ77, Aug 18, 2016

You are welcome, mate, you are not as feeble as you think! ;) - FELIZ77, Aug 18, 2016

Answer 4

This is worth another look see , is that an Americanism ?

Look see? Yes it is. - Daniela2041, Aug 18, 2016