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Conjugation Chart

“Conocer” (to know/meet) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Conocer”

The preterite tense of conocer is used to express the moment when you met someone or first became aware of something, for example, “I met your sister at the party last night.” This tense captures the exact moment of meeting or discovery.

This is a regular -er verb in the preterite tense, following the standard -er ending patterns. The only spelling change occurs before ‘i’ or ‘e’ where ‘c’ becomes ‘ci’ to maintain the sound.

How to Use Conocer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of conocer indicates the specific moment of meeting someone or learning about something for the first time.

To meet for the first time: Describes the initial encounter with someone, for example conocí a mi mejor amigo en la universidad (I met my best friend at university).

To experience or visit for the first time: Used for first-time experiences with places or things, for example conocimos París el año pasado (we visited/got to know Paris last year).

To learn about something: Indicates when you first learned of news or information, for example conocí la noticia ayer (I learned about the news yesterday).

Real Life Examples of Conocer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Conocí a mi mejor amigo en la universidad. (I met my best friend at university.)

¿Dónde conociste a tu pareja? (Where did you meet your partner?)

Ella conoció a sus ídolos en el concierto. (She met her idols at the concert.)

Conocimos lugares increíbles durante el viaje. (We got to know incredible places during the trip.)

Los turistas conocieron la ciudad antigua. (The tourists got to know the old city.)

Por fin conocí tu casa nueva. (I finally got to know your new house.)

¿Conociste al nuevo gerente? (Did you meet the new manager?)

Ayer conocimos a los padres de Juan. (Yesterday we met Juan’s parents.)

Ellos conocieron la noticia por la radio. (They learned about the news on the radio.)

Conocí la verdad demasiado tarde. (I learned the truth too late.)

¿Cuándo conociste este restaurante? (When did you discover this restaurant?)

Conocimos gente interesante en el evento. (We met interesting people at the event.)

Él conoció su vocación desde joven. (He discovered his vocation since he was young.)

Por fin conocieron el mar. (They finally saw the ocean.)

Conocí ese país hace cinco años. (I got to know that country five years ago.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Conocer (to know/meet) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.