Spanish grammar · Intermediate
Conocer Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Conocer means to know people or places, or to be familiar with something. Yo form takes -zc- (conozco). Preterite shifts meaning to met for the first time. Distinct from saber (to know facts).
Conozco a María.
I know María.
What it is
Conocer means to know people or places, or to be familiar with something. The yo form is the irregular conozco (-zc- pattern shared with crecer, parecer, agradecer). Preterite conocí shifts meaning to met for the first time.
In Conozco a María (I know María), conozco is the yo form. The personal a is required because the direct object is a person.
How to spot it
Yo present is conozco (irregular -zc-). Other forms are regular -er: conoces, conoce, conocemos, conocéis, conocen.
- ¿Conoces Madrid? — Have you been to / Are you familiar with Madrid?
- La conocí en una fiesta. — I met her at a party.
- Conocemos un buen restaurante. — We know a good restaurant.
Personal a appears before a person (Conozco a Juan) but not before a place (Conozco París). This trips up learners.
Conocer Conjugation Quick Reference
Conocer at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | conozco | conocí | conocía | conoceré | conozca |
| tú | conoces | conociste | conocías | conocerás | conozcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | conoce | conoció | conocía | conocerá | conozca |
| nosotros | conocemos | conocimos | conocíamos | conoceremos | conozcamos |
| vosotros | conocéis | conocisteis | conocíais | conoceréis | conozcáis |
| ellos/Uds. | conocen | conocieron | conocían | conocerán | conozcan |
Common Conocer Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Conocer covers knowing people, knowing places, and familiarity with anything.
Knowing People (Personal A)
- Conozco a tu hermano.
- I know your brother.
- ¿Conoces a Laura?
- Do you know Laura?
- Conocen a mucha gente.
- They know a lot of people.
Personal a is mandatory before a person, Conozco a Juan, not Conozco Juan.
Knowing Places
- Conozco Madrid muy bien.
- I know Madrid very well.
- Conocemos un buen café.
- We know a good café.
- ¿Conoces este restaurante?
- Do you know this restaurant?
No personal a before places, Conozco Madrid, not Conozco a Madrid.
Familiarity with Things
- Conozco esa canción.
- I know that song.
- Conocemos el problema.
- We're familiar with the problem.
- No conozco esa marca.
- I'm not familiar with that brand.
Conocer covers being familiar with songs, books, brands, problems, anything you've encountered.
Preterite: Met for the First Time
- Conocí a mi esposo en la universidad.
- I met my husband in college.
- ¿Cuándo conociste a Pedro?
- When did you meet Pedro?
- Nos conocimos en el trabajo.
- We met at work.
Preterite conocí shifts meaning to met for the first time. Conocía (imperfect) means knew over time.
How to Conjugate Conocer Across Tenses
Present, Yo Conozco (-Zc- Pattern)
Yo form adds zc: conozco. Other forms are regular -er.
Yo conozco, tú conoces, él conoce, nosotros conocemos, vosotros conocéis, ellos conocen.
I know, you know, he knows, we know, you all know, they know.
-cer / -cir verbs preceded by a vowel insert z in the yo form: conozco, parezco, crezco, agradezco.
Preterite, Regular -er with Meaning Shift
Fully regular -er preterite: conocí, conociste, conoció, conocimos, conocisteis, conocieron. Meaning shifts to met for the first time.
La conocí ayer.
I met her yesterday (for the first time).
Same conjugation as comer in preterite, but very different meaning.
Imperfect, Regular
Fully regular -er imperfect: conocía, conocías, conocía, conocíamos, conocíais, conocían.
Ya la conocía de antes.
I already knew her from before.
Conocía = had known / was familiar with (ongoing). Conocí = met (one moment).
Subjunctive, Conozca (-Zc- Stem)
Subjunctive built from conozco: conozca, conozcas, conozca, conozcamos, conozcáis, conozcan.
Espero que conozcas mi ciudad.
I hope you get to know my city.
-zc- stem repeats from the yo present form into the subjunctive.
Common Mistakes with Conocer Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo conoco a María. — I know María. (wrong, yo form is conozco)
Correct: Yo conozco a María. — I know María.
-cer / -cir verbs preceded by a vowel insert z in the yo form. Conozco, not conoco.
Incorrect: Conozco María. — I know María. (wrong, missing personal a)
Correct: Conozco a María. — I know María.
Personal a is mandatory before a person as direct object. Conozco a Juan, conozco a María. No personal a before places (Conozco Madrid).
Incorrect: Sé a María. — I know María. (wrong, saber doesn't work for people)
Correct: Conozco a María. — I know María.
Knowing people = conocer. Knowing facts / information = saber. Sé a María isn't grammatical in standard Spanish.
Conocer Across Every Tense
One irregular spot: yo conozco. Other forms are regular -er across all tenses.
Present (Yo Conozco)
Yo form adds zc; other forms regular.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Same -zc- pattern: parezco (I seem), crezco (I grow), agradezco (I thank).
Preterite (Regular)
Regular -er preterite but the meaning shifts to met for the first time.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
La conocí en 2020 = I met her in 2020 (for the first time).
Imperfect (Regular)
Regular -er imperfect (conocía, conocías, conocía...).
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Conocía la ciudad = I was familiar with the city (ongoing past knowledge).
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
Future / conditional regular. Subjunctive uses conozc- stem.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Espero que conozcas a mi familia = I hope you (get to) meet my family.
Conocer Conjugation FAQs
- What does conocer mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Conocer means to know people or places, or to be familiar with something. Used for people (Conozco a María), places (Conozco Madrid), and things you've encountered (Conozco esa canción). In preterite, conocí means met for the first time.
- How does conocer conjugate in the present tense?
- Conozco, conoces, conoce, conocemos, conocéis, conocen. Only the yo form is irregular (conozco, with the -zc- insertion). Other forms are regular -er.
- What's the preterite of conocer?
- Conocí, conociste, conoció, conocimos, conocisteis, conocieron. Fully regular -er preterite, but the meaning shifts to met for the first time: La conocí ayer = I met her yesterday.
- What's the difference between conocer and saber?
- Conocer = know people, places, or be familiar with something. Saber = know facts, information, or how to do something. Conozco a María (I know María) vs. Sé que María es médica (I know María is a doctor). See the saber vs. conocer page for full coverage.
- How can I get better at conjugating conocer?
- Exposure to native speakers using conocer for people, places, and the meeting-someone preterite is the fastest path. Parrot's daily videos feature conozco, conocí, conocía in real conversations, so the patterns become automatic.