The Present Tense of conocer is used to express actions happening now or facts that are currently true. For example, Conozco a tu hermana. (I know your sister.)

Conocer is a spelling-changing verb; the c changes to zc before the vowels a and o in some conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Conocer (to know) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Conocer generally means “to know” or “to be acquainted with”, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To know a person or place: For example, Yo conozco a María. (I know Maria.)

To be familiar with something: For example, Tú conoces bien esta ciudad. (You know this city well.)

To experience or be acquainted with: For example, Ellos no conocen la pobreza. (They don’t know poverty.)

To meet someone for the first time: For example, Vosotros conocéis a mi nuevo novio hoy. (You all meet my new boyfriend today.)

To be sexually intimate with someone (vulgar): For example, Él conoce a muchas chicas. (He has been intimate with many girls.)

Examples

Examples of Conocer in the Present Tense

¿Conoces a la nueva vecina? (Do you know the new neighbor?)

Yo conozco un buen restaurante cerca de aquí. (I know a good restaurant near here.)

Ellos conocen muy bien la ciudad. (They know the city very well.)

¿Ustedes conocen algún buen lugar para acampar? (Do you all know any good place to go camping?)

Nosotros conocemos a los dueños del nuevo café. (We know the owners of the new cafe.)

María conoce todos los atajos para llegar rápido. (Maria knows all the shortcuts to get there quickly.)

Juan y Pedro conocen de películas, así que les preguntaré qué ver. (Juan and Pedro are knowledgeable about movies, so I’ll ask them what to watch.)

Tú conoces mis gustos, ¿qué me recomiendas para mi cumpleaños? (You know my tastes, what do you recommend for my birthday?)

Ellas conocen esa zona de la ciudad como la palma de su mano. (They know that area of the city like the back of their hand.)

¿Conocéis algún buen lugar para tomar un trago por aquí cerca? (Do you all know any good place to get a drink around here?)

Mis amigos conocen los mejores lugares para bailar salsa. (My friends know the best places to go salsa dancing.)

Yo conozco a alguien que puede ayudarnos con eso. (I know someone who can help us with that.)

Ellos conocen todos los trucos para viajar barato. (They know all the tricks for traveling on a budget.)

¿Conoces esa nueva aplicación de citas? Dicen que es buenísima. (Do you know that new dating app? They say it’s really good.)

Nosotros conocemos un atajo para llegar más rápido al centro. (We know a shortcut to get downtown faster.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Conocer (to know) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.