Portuguese 3.2. The Verb “To Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conhecer”

Level I 1. Alphabet & Pronunciation 1.1. Vowels 2. Similarities to English 2.1. Capitalization 2.2. Negation 2.3. Punctuation & Written Accents 3. Gender & Plural 4. Cardinal Numbers 5. Subject Personal Pronouns 6. Present Indicative Tense I 7. The Articles 8. Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives 9. Basic Phrases Level II 1. Prepositions 2. Present Indicative Tense II – Irregular Verbs 3. The Verb “To Be”: “Ser” vs. “Estar” 4. Future Tense 5. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns 6. Demonstrative Adjectives & Pronouns 7. Object Personal Pronouns 8. Relative Pronouns 9. Ordinal Numbers I 10. Times & Seasons Level III 1. “Por” vs. “Para” 2. The Verb “To Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conhecer” 3. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns 4. Present Progressive Tense 5. Present Perfect Tense 6. Special Uses of “Haver” & “Ter” 7. Telling Time & Describing Weather 8. Adverbs 9. Directions Level IV 1. Degrees of Comparison: Comparatives & Superlatives 2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect 3. Conjunctions 4. Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs 5. Time Expressions: Ainda, Já, Acabar, and Desde 6. Present Subjunctive Tense 7. Future Perfect Tense Level V 1. Imperative Mood & Giving Commands 2. Simple Conditional Tense 3. Future Subjunctive Tense 4. Perfect Subjunctive Tense 5. Imperfect Subjunctive Tense 6. Past & Conditional Progressive Tenses 7. Interjections Level VI 1. Ordinal Numbers II 2. “Would/Should/Could Have …” 3. Pluperfect Indicative Tense 4. Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense 5.”Although” & “Despite” 6. Passive Voice & Impersonal “Se” 7. Diminutives & Augmentatives
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There are two verbs in Portuguese that mean “to know” in English: “saber” and “conhecer.” Knowing when to use “saber” and when to use “conhecer” should not be difficult if you understand the subtle difference between the two concepts of “knowing.

In short, the verb “saber” is used to describe knowledge of facts, concepts, languages, skills, abilities, etc. On the other hand, the verb “conhecer” is used to describe recognition or familiarity with a person, a place, or an object, including a movie, a site, a brand, etc.

Conjugation

Below is a reminder of the present tense conjugation of both verbs:

 saberconhecer
euseiconheço
ele/ela/vocêsabeconhece
nóssabemosconhecemos
eles/elas/vocêssabemconhecem

Examples on Meaning Difference

Here are some examples that use the verbs “saber” and “conhecer” and highlight the difference:

“saber” and “conhecer” ExamplesExplanation
Você sabe se há alguém dentro?
Do you know if there is someone inside?
Referring to a fact (whether someone is inside or not), use “saber.”
Sabe inglês?
Do you know English?
Referring to a language, use “saber.”
Ela não sabe nadar.
She doesn’t know how to swim.
Referring to a skill, use “saber.”
Não sei onde há uma escola.
I don’t know where there is a school.
Referring to a fact (whether a school exists nearby), use “saber.”
Não conheço muito bem a cidade.
I don’t know the city very well.
Referring to recognizing a place, use “conhecer.”
Não conhecem meus pais.
They don’t know my parents.
Referring to recognizing a person, use “conhecer.
Conhece aquele filme?
Do you know that movie?
Referring to recognizing a movie, use “conhecer.”

To know each other using “Conhecer”

The verb “conhecer” is used to refer to the reciprocal act of knowing each other, for example:

Nos conhecemos [1] muito bem.We know each other very well.
Eles não se conhecem. [1]They don’t know each other.

[1] More on the use of reflexive verbs will be covered in detail in Level IV, Lesson 4.

Expressions that use “Saber”

The verb “saber” is common in many expressions in Portuguese, for example:

eu seiI knowque eu saiba [2]as far as I know
para que saiba [2]just so you knowquem sabe?who knows?
sem eu saberwithout my knowledgese eu soubesse [3]if I’d only known

[2] The subjunctive mood will be covered in more detail in Level IV, Lesson 6.

[3] The imperfect subjunctive tense will be covered in more detail in Level V, Lesson 5.

Use of “Saber” and “Conhecer” in the Preterite Tense

The preterite is one of the tenses used in Portuguese to describe past events. We will cover the preterite in more detail in Level IV, Lesson 2. For now, keep in mind that “saber” in the preterite form can also mean “to find out” in the past, while “conhecer” in the preterite form can also mean “to meet” in the past, for example:

Meu irmão sabia que ele estava doente.My brother found out that I was sick.
Conheci minha esposa na faculdade.I met my wife at university.

Next: Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns

Back to: Portuguese Lessons

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