Saber y conocer: la diferencia (videolección)

Brian, from Canada, has lived in Madrid for five years. On a terrace in front of the Retiro park, he tells Pilar what a foreigner should know before visiting Madrid and which places are worth getting to know.

Learn the difference between "saber" and "conocer" in Spanish with this free Spanish lesson brought to you by Tilde Madrid Spanish school in Madrid

Key points

Saber is for information and facts: ¿Sabías que Madrid tiene unos 300.000 árboles en sus calles? – No lo sabía.
Saber + infinitive is for skills: Sé cocinar. Sabe hablar cuatro idiomas.
Conocer is for people, places and things you are familiar with: conocer dos o tres barrios, conocer la cocina española.
Brian's practical tips: in Spain dinner is at around ten at night, and Madrid has many different neighbourhoods to explore.

Frequent doubts

Saber or conocer with a city?

Conocer: ¿Conoces Madrid? Saber is used for information about the city: ¿Sabes dónde está el Retiro?

Why conozco a tu hermano with a?

Because the direct object is a person, and in Spanish people take the preposition a: Conozco a tu hermano, but Conozco tu ciudad.

Is the present of saber and conocer irregular?

Only in the first person: yo sé, yo conozco. The other persons are regular: sabes, conoces.

Part of Spanish Sessions, the YouTube channel of the teachers at Tilde Madrid — more than 3 million views.

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Key points

Frequent doubts

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