The Spanish verb “conocer” is a highly versatile and commonly used verb that translates to “to know” in English. It’s essential to understand its conjugations to express your knowledge of people, places, things, or facts effectively. “Conocer” is a regular -er verb, making its conjugation relatively straightforward, but it does have some irregularities in the present and preterite tenses.
Present Tense
The present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening or generally true. The conjugation of “conocer” in the present tense is as follows:
- Yo conozco (I know)
- Tú conoces (You know)
- Él/ella/usted conoce (He/she/you know)
- Nosotros/nosotras conocemos (We know)
- Vosotros/vosotras conocéis (You all know - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes conocen (They/you all know)
Preterite Tense
The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions in the past. The conjugation of “conocer” in the preterite tense has some irregularities:
- Yo conocí (I knew)
- Tú conociste (You knew)
- Él/ella/usted conoció (He/she/you knew)
- Nosotros/nosotras conocimos (We knew)
- Vosotros/vosotras conocisteis (You all knew - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes conocieron (They/you all knew)
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past. The conjugation of “conocer” in the imperfect tense follows the regular -er verb pattern:
- Yo conocía (I used to know or I knew)
- Tú conocías (You used to know or you knew)
- Él/ella/usted conocía (He/she/you used to know or he/she/you knew)
- Nosotros/nosotras conocíamos (We used to know or we knew)
- Vosotros/vosotras conocíais (You all used to know or you all knew - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes conocían (They/you all used to know or they/you all knew)
Future Tense
The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. The conjugation of “conocer” in the future tense follows the regular -er verb pattern:
- Yo conoceré (I will know)
- Tú conocerás (You will know)
- Él/ella/usted conocerá (He/she/you will know)
- Nosotros/nosotras conoceremos (We will know)
- Vosotros/vosotras conoceréis (You all will know - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes conocerán (They/you all will know)
Conditional Tense
The conditional tense describes hypothetical or uncertain situations and their potential consequences. The conjugation of “conocer” in the conditional tense also follows the regular -er verb pattern:
- Yo conocería (I would know)
- Tú conocerías (You would know)
- Él/ella/usted conocería (He/she/you would know)
- Nosotros/nosotras conoceríamos (We would know)
- Vosotros/vosotras conoceríais (You all would know - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes conocerían (They/you all would know)
Subjunctive Tense
The subjunctive tense is used to express doubt, uncertainty, or potential about a situation. The conjugation of “conocer” in the present subjunctive tense is:
- Yo conozca (I know - in a clause expressing doubt or uncertainty)
- Tú conozcas (You know)
- Él/ella/usted conozca (He/she/you know)
- Nosotros/nosotras conozcamos (We know)
- Vosotros/vosotras conozcáis (You all know - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes conozcan (They/you all know)
For the imperfect subjunctive, which is used for past situations of doubt or uncertainty, “conocer” conjugates as follows:
- Yo conociera (If I knew, or I would know - in a past context of doubt)
- Tú conocieras (If you knew)
- Él/ella/usted conociera (If he/she/you knew)
- Nosotros/nosotras conociéramos (If we knew)
- Vosotros/vosotras conocierais (If you all knew - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes conocieran (If they/you all knew)
Imperative Mood
The imperative mood is used for commands or requests. The conjugation of “conocer” in the imperative mood is:
- Tú: conoce (Know!)
- Él/ella/usted: conozca (Let him/her/you know!)
- Nosotros/nosotras: conozcamos (Let’s know!)
- Vosotros/vosotras: conoced (Know! - used in some parts of Spain)
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes: conozcan (Let them/you all know!)
Understanding the conjugation of “conocer” in different tenses and moods is crucial for effective communication in Spanish, allowing you to express a wide range of thoughts and ideas related to knowing or being familiar with something or someone.
