conoce
/ko-NO-se/
he knows / she knows
Conoce (he/she/you formal knows) is used to express familiarity with a place or person.
conoce(Verb)
he knows / she knows
?being familiar with a person or place
,you know
?formal 'you' (usted), being familiar with
he/she meets
?in the sense of being introduced to or getting to know someone
,he/she recognizes
?identifying someone or something by a characteristic
📝 In Action
Mi hermana conoce a tu primo.
A1My sister knows your cousin.
Él conoce muy bien la ciudad de México.
A1He knows Mexico City very well.
Usted conoce el camino, ¿verdad?
A2You know the way, right? (formal)
Ella conoce el peligro de la situación.
B1She is aware of the danger of the situation.
💡 Grammar Points
What kind of 'knowing' is this?
Use 'conoce' when talking about being familiar with people, places, or things. Think of it as being 'acquainted with' someone or something.
The Personal 'a'
When the person someone knows is receiving the action, you must put the little word 'a' right before them. Example: 'Ella conoce a Juan.' (She knows Juan).
❌ Common Pitfalls
'Conoce' vs. 'Sabe'
Mistake: "Using 'conoce' for facts, like: 'Él conoce que la capital es Madrid.'"
Correction: Use 'sabe' for facts and information: 'Él sabe que la capital es Madrid.' 'Conoce' is for familiarity with people and places.
⭐ Usage Tips
A Special Meaning in the Past
While 'conoce' means 'knows', its past tense form 'conoció' means 'met' for the first time. 'Conocía' (another past form) means 'knew' (was already familiar with).
As an informal command, ¡Conoce! means 'Get to know!' or 'Meet!'
conoce(Verb)
get to know
?informal command ('you')
,meet
?informal command, as in 'meet new people'
explore
?command, in the sense of getting to know a place
📝 In Action
¡Viaja más! Conoce el mundo.
A2Travel more! Get to know the world.
Conoce a mis padres, te van a caer muy bien.
B1Meet my parents, you're going to like them a lot.
Primero, conoce bien las reglas del juego.
B1First, get to know the rules of the game well.
💡 Grammar Points
Giving Friendly Commands
'Conoce' is the command form for 'tú' (the informal 'you'). You use it to tell a friend to get to know or experience something.
⭐ Usage Tips
Positive Commands Only
This form, 'conoce', is only for telling someone TO DO something. To tell them NOT to do it, you use a different form: 'no conozcas'.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: conoce
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'conoce' correctly?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the absolute main difference between 'conoce' and 'sabe'?
The simplest way to remember is: 'conoce' is for familiarity (people, places, art), and 'sabe' is for facts and skills (information, how to do things). If you can be 'acquainted with' it, use 'conoce'. If you can learn it from a book, use 'sabe'.
Why is it 'conoce a Juan' but just 'conoce Madrid'?
Spanish has a special rule called the 'personal a'. When a person is the one receiving the action of the verb (like being known), you have to put 'a' in front of them. This rule doesn't apply to places or objects, so Madrid doesn't need the 'a'.
If 'conoce' is 'he knows', how do I say 'I know'?
The 'I' form of 'conocer' is irregular. You say 'Yo conozco'. For example, 'Yo conozco a tu hermano' (I know your brother).