In this comparative grammar lesson of Romance languages, we study the verb “to know” in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French.
Table of Contents
- Two Concepts of “Knowing”
- Examples
- Expressions that use “Saber,” “Sapere,” or “Savoir”
- To know each other
- Referring to the Past
- Level III – Elementary
There are two verbs in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French that mean “to know” in English. The two verbs are:
| SP | saber | conocer |
| PT | saber | conhecer |
| IT | sapere | conoscere |
| FR | savoir | connaître |
Two Concepts of “Knowing”
Knowing when to use each verb should not be difficult if you understand the subtle difference between the two concepts of “knowing.”
In short, the verbs “saber,” “sapere,” and “savoir” are used to describe knowledge of facts, concepts, skills, abilities, etc. On the other hand, the verbs “conocer,” “conhecer,” “conoscere,” and “connaître” are used to describe recognition or familiarity with a person, a place, or an object, including a movie, a site, a brand, etc.
In Italian and French, when referring to a language, one could use either verb. The sentence “Conosco l’italiano” in Italian indicates that you know some Italian or that you are familiar with the language, whereas “So l’italiano” or “So parlare l’italiano” indicates that you know Italian well enough to speak it.
Similarly, the sentence “Je connais le français” in French indicates that you know some French or that you are familiar with the language, whereas “Je sais le français” or “Je sais parler français” indicates that you know French well enough to speak it. In Spanish and Portuguese, the verb “saber” is often used referring to a language.
Examples
Here are some examples that highlight the difference:
| Examples | Explanation | |
| EN | Do you know if there is someone inside? | When referring to a fact (whether someone is inside or not), use “saber,” “sapere,” and “savoir.” |
| SP | ¿Sabes si hay alguien dentro? | |
| PT | Você sabe se há alguém dentro? | |
| IT | Sai se c’è qualcuno dentro? | |
| FR | Sais-tu s’il y a quelqu’un à l’intérieur? | |
| EN | She doesn’t know how to swim. | When referring to a skill, use “saber,” “sapere,” and “savoir.” |
| SP | Ella no sabe nadar. | |
| PT | Ela não sabe nadar. | |
| IT | Lei non sa nuotare. | |
| FR | Elle ne sait pas nager. | |
| EN | I don’t know where there is a school. | When referring to a fact (whether a school exists nearby), use “saber,” “sapere,” and “savoir.” |
| SP | No sé dónde hay una escuela. | |
| PT | Não sei onde há uma escola. | |
| IT | Non so dove ci sia una scuola. | |
| FR | Je ne sais pas où il y a une école. | |
| EN | I don’t know the city very well. | When referring to recognizing a place, use “conocer,” “conhecer,” “conoscere,” and “connaître.” |
| SP | No conozco la ciudad muy bien. | |
| PT | Não conheço muito bem a cidade. | |
| IT | Non conosco molto bene la città. | |
| FR | Je ne connais pas très bien la ville. | |
| EN | They don’t know my parents. | When referring to recognizing a person, use “conocer,” “conhecer,” “conoscere,” and “connaître.” |
| SP | No conocen a mis padres. | |
| PT | Não conhecem meus pais. | |
| IT | Non conoscono i miei genitori. | |
| FR | Ils ne connaissent pas mes parents. | |
| EN | Do you know that movie? | When referring to recognizing a movie, use “conocer,” “conhecer,” “conoscere,” or “connaître.” |
| SP | ¿Conoces esa película? | |
| PT | Conhece aquele filme? | |
| IT | Conosci quel film? | |
| FR | Connaissez-vous ce film? | |
| EN | Do you know English? | When referring to a language, in Spanish and Portuguese, we use “saber.” In Italian and French, either verb can be used. |
| SP | ¿Sabes inglés? | |
| PT | Sabe inglês? | |
| IT | Conosci l’inglese? (or) Sai l’inglese? | |
| FR | Connaissez-vous l’anglais? (or) Savez-vous l’anglais? |
Expressions that use “Saber,” “Sapere,” or “Savoir”
The verb “saber,” “sapere,” or “savoir” is used in many expressions, for example:
| SP | lo sé | I know | ¿quién sabe? | who knows? |
| PT | eu sei | quem sabe? | ||
| IT | lo so | chissà? | ||
| FR | je sais | qui sait? | ||
| SP | para que lo sepas [1] | just so you know | que yo sepa [1] | as far as I know |
| PT | para que saiba[1] | que eu saiba[1] | ||
| IT | perché lo sappia[1] | per quanto ne so | ||
| FR | pour que tu le saches [1] | que je sache[1] |
To know each other
The verb “conocer,” “conhecer,” “conoscere,” or “connaître” is used to refer to the reciprocal act of knowing each other:
| SP | Nos conocemos [2] muy bien. | We know each other very well. |
| PT | Nos conhecemos [2] muito bem. | |
| IT | Ci conosciamo[2] molto bene. | |
| FR | Nous nous connaissons [2] très bien. | |
| SP | No se conocen. | They don’t know each other. |
| PT | Eles não se conhecem. | |
| IT | Non si conoscono. | |
| FR | Ils ne se connaissent pas. |
Referring to the Past
The verb “conocer,” “conhecer,” “conoscere,” or “connaître” can also mean “to meet” when referring to the past, for example:
| SP | Conocí a mi esposa en la universidad. | I met my wife at university. |
| PT | Conheci minha esposa na faculdade. | |
| IT | Ho conosciuto mia moglie all’università. | |
| FR | J’ai connu ma femme à l’université. |
[1] The subjunctive mood is used, which we will study in Level IV Lesson 5.
[2] More on the use of reflexive verbs will be covered in detail in Level IV, Lesson 3.
Next: Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns
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