conocer

es
en
Change language
Translating...
know, be familiar with, be acquainted with, meet, get acquainted with
Find language
/konoˈseɾ/
Add to My Dictionary
In My Dictionary
+1
To gain or have direct familiarity with a person, place, thing, or experience.

Examples

  • Apenas conocemos los efectos a largo plazo.
    We barely know the long-term effects.
  • La corte se declaró competente para conocer de la demanda.
    The court declared itself competent to hear the claim.
  • Corresponde a otro juez conocer del asunto.
    Another judge must hear the matter.
  • Nunca había conocido un frío tan intenso.
    I had never experienced such intense cold.
  • Hoy ese uso de conocer suena bíblico o muy antiguo.
    Today that use of know sounds biblical or very old.

Similar words

juzgar
entender
examinar
ser presentado a
probar
saber de
experimentar
trabar amistad con
descubrir
yacer con

Meanings

Be familiar with someone or something

verb
social
neutral
To have personal familiarity with a person, place, subject, or thing through contact or experience.

Examples

  • Conozco bien a tu hermana.
    I know your sister well.
  • ¿Conoces Madrid?
    Do you know Madrid?
  • Ella conoce muy bien la literatura chilena.
    She knows Chilean literature very well.
  • No conocemos ese restaurante.
    We do not know that restaurant.
  • Mis abuelos conocían cada rincón del pueblo.
    My grandparents knew every corner of the village.

Similar words

Meet for the first time

verb
social
neutral
To encounter a person for the first time and begin to have contact with them.

Examples

  • Conocí a Elena en la universidad.
    I met Elena at university.
  • Mañana conocerás al nuevo director.
    Tomorrow you will meet the new director.
  • Nos conocimos durante un viaje a Perú.
    We met during a trip to Peru.
  • Fue un placer conocerlo.
    It was a pleasure to meet you.
  • Quiero que conozcas a mis padres.
    I want you to meet my parents.

Similar words

Experience something directly

verb
experience
neutral
To go through, visit, or personally experience something rather than only hear about it.

Examples

  • Este verano quiero conocer Colombia.
    This summer I want to visit Colombia.
  • El equipo aún no conoce la derrota.
    The team has not yet experienced defeat.
  • La ciudad conoció años de gran prosperidad.
    The city experienced years of great prosperity.
  • Nunca había conocido un frío tan intenso.
    I had never experienced such intense cold.
  • Viajó al norte para conocer otras culturas.
    She travelled north to experience other cultures.

Similar words

Recognize or understand

verb
knowledge
neutral
To identify something as distinct or grasp its nature, qualities, or existence.

Examples

  • Por la voz conocí que era Andrés.
    I recognized from the voice that it was Andrés.
  • Los expertos conocen las causas del problema.
    The experts understand the causes of the problem.
  • Apenas conocemos los efectos a largo plazo.
    We barely know the long-term effects.
  • Se conoce la existencia de tres copias.
    The existence of three copies is known.
  • El médico debe conocer bien cada síntoma.
    The doctor must understand each symptom well.

Similar words

Have sexual relations

verb
sexuality
archaic
In archaic and biblical-style language, to have sexual relations with someone.

Examples

  • El texto antiguo dice que no la había conocido.
    The ancient text says that he had not had relations with her.
  • En esa traducción, conocer a una mujer significa unirse sexualmente a ella.
    In that translation, to know a woman means to join with her sexually.
  • El narrador usa conoció como un modo antiguo de decir que tuvieron relaciones.
    The narrator uses knew as an old way to say that they had sex.
  • Hoy ese uso de conocer suena bíblico o muy antiguo.
    Today that use of know sounds biblical or very old.
  • El editor conservó conocer para imitar el tono del original.
    The editor kept know to imitate the tone of the original.

Similar words

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin conoscere, a variant of Latin cognoscere, meaning to get to know.

FAQ

What does conocer mean?

Conocer mainly means to know or be familiar with a person, place, subject, or thing through contact or experience.

What is the difference between conocer and saber?

Use conocer for familiarity with people, places, and things. Use saber for facts, information, and knowing how to do something.

Does conocí mean knew or met?

With a person, preterite conocí commonly means met for the first time, while imperfect conocía usually means already knew.

What are the key forms of conocer?

The main spelling-changing forms are conozco and subjunctive conozca. Voseo uses conocés, and the participle is conocido.

Does conocer take the personal a?

Yes, a specific person normally takes personal a, as in conozco a Marta. Places and things do not.

Can conocer mean to experience?

Yes. Phrases such as conocer la derrota mean to experience defeat directly.

Is the sexual meaning of conocer common today?

No. That meaning is archaic and now appears mainly in biblical or deliberately old-fashioned language.

Comments & contributions

Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
Posting as a guest · Sign in
No comments yet. Be the first to add one.
Look up word or phrase...