Do you know how to use Saber and Conocer in the past tenses in Spanish? Read on to learn more about Saber and Conocer, which both mean to know, in the preterit and imperfect past!
The past tenses in Spanish: el pretérito vs. el imperfecto
Using the past tenses in Spanish doesn’t have to be confusing, not even with verbs like Saber and Conocer, which correspond to just one verb in English (to know)! At CGI, we’re always developing new content and courses to deep dive into topics like using the past tenses in Spanish. Make sure to register for CGI’s upcoming Spanish Workshop on the Spanish past tenses: el pretérito vs. el imperfecto. In the mean time, here are a few quick tips to get you started:
El pretérito: for completed actions in the past that have no definite time frame associated.
El imperfecto: for on-going actions in the past, usually (but not always!) corresponding to “used to” or “was doing” in English.
Conocí a mi mejor amiga cuando estudiábamos en la escuela secundaria.
I met my best friend when we were studying in high school.
Cuando era pequeña no sabía nadar, pero el año pasado ¡por fin aprendí!
When I was little I didn’t know how to swim, but last year, I finally learned!
Saber in the preterit and imperfect past
Saber is a verb that changes meaning in the preterit. In general, it means to know information, knowledge or facts or how to do something. However, in the preterit, this meaning often changes to discovered, found out, or realized. Here is a sweet, little example:
De repente ella supo que no sabía cómo llegar.
All of a sudden, she realized she didn’t know how to get there.
In a specific moment, she didn’t have the information, so she discovered or realized she didn’t know how to get there. On the other hand, she didn’t have the knowledge on how to get to where she wanted to go. She used to know, but then realized she didn’t, so the imperfect past tense is used instead of the preterit past.
Conocer in the preterit and imperfect past
Conocer is a verb that also changes meaning in the preterit. In general, it means to meet or know a person, place or thing. A great to tip is to think, is it possible to replace to know with to be familiar with something. If you can use to be familiar with, then you can use Conocer in Spanish. However, in the preterit, the meaning changes: it means met in the preterit tense for a person, or for a place, it refers to the first time at that place. Likewise, in the preterit, it refers to the first time you become familiar with something. Here is another contrasting example:
Se perdió de camino a mi casa, pero conoció a un chico, y a ese chico, yo lo conocía del trabajo.
She got lost on her way to my house, but she met a guy, and that guy, I knew him from work.
In the first case, she met him or came to know him for the first time, so it is in the preterit tense. In the second case, it’s the imperfect past because I used to know him from work. So, while Saber and Conocer are verbs that change meanings slightly in the preterit, they still follow the same logic as to when to use them in the past tenses in Spanish. In the imperfect, there is no defined time frame. In the preterit, it absolutely has to be a definite moment.
Make sure to download the free Saber vs. Conocer exercise workshop to practice these two verbs in the past tenses in Spanish.
Watch the video to learn more about how to use Saber and Conocer in the imperfect and preterit past tenses in Spanish.
Want to join the next Spanish Workshop to learn how to use the past tenses in Spanish? In this workshop, CGI teachers deep dive into when and how to use el pretérito vs. el imperfecto, including other confusing verbs like Saber and Conocer that change meanings in the past. Click on the button below to sign up to our mailing list and get all of the registration information or register here.
Leave us a comment below to practice Saber and Conocer in the past tenses in Spanish! Here are a couple of prompts: when did you meet your significant other? What did you know how to do as a child? The first time you traveled to Latin America, what did you discover, what did you already know? When did you realize you wanted to learn Spanish?
