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conocían

ko-no-SEE-ahn/konoˈsi.an/

“conocían” means “they knew” in Spanish (being acquainted with a person or place).

they knew

Also: you all knew, they used to know
VerbA2irregular (in other forms, regular in this tense) er
Two friends smiling and waving at each other in a park, showing they are acquainted.
gerundconociendo
past Participleconocido
infinitiveconocer

📝 In Action

Ellos no conocían la ciudad antes del viaje.

A2

They didn't know the city before the trip.

Mis padres ya conocían a tu familia.

A2

My parents already knew your family.

¿Ustedes no conocían este restaurante?

B1

You all didn't know about this restaurant?

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • se conocían de antes – they knew each other from before
  • lo conocían bien – they knew him/it well

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesconocieran
yoconociera
túconocieras
vosotrosconocierais
nosotrosconociéramos
él/ella/ustedconociera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesconozcan
yoconozca
túconozcas
vosotrosconozcáis
nosotrosconozcamos
él/ella/ustedconozca

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesconocieron
yoconocí
túconociste
vosotrosconocisteis
nosotrosconocimos
él/ella/ustedconoció

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesconocían
yoconocía
túconocías
vosotrosconocíais
nosotrosconocíamos
él/ella/ustedconocía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesconocen
yoconozco
túconoces
vosotrosconocéis
nosotrosconocemos
él/ella/ustedconoce
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: conocían

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence means 'They knew my cousin'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin 'cognoscere', which means 'to get to know' or 'to recognize'.

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: cognitionEnglish: recognizeFrench: connaissaient

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'conocían' and 'conocieron'?

'Conocían' describes an ongoing state (they knew him for a long time), while 'conocieron' usually means the moment they met him for the first time.

Can I use 'conocían' for facts?

No. For facts, information, or how to do something, use 'sabían'.