The Imperfect Tense of conocer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo conocía a tu hermano cuando vivía en Madrid. (I knew your brother when I lived in Madrid.)

Conocer is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the regular pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Conocer (to know) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of conocer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To know someone or something: For example, Yo conocía a mi vecino desde hace años. (I had known my neighbor for years.)

To be familiar with a place: For example, Conocíamos bien la ciudad. (We were familiar with the city.)

To experience or live through something: For example, Nunca conocí la pobreza. (I never experienced poverty.)

To be acquainted with someone: For example, ¿Conocías a ese tipo? (Did you know that guy?)

To recognize or identify someone or something: For example, No lo conocía, pero su cara me resultaba familiar. (I didn’t know him, but his face looked familiar.)

To have sexual relations with someone (slang): For example, Dicen que conoció a varias chicas en la fiesta. (They say he hooked up with several girls at the party.)

Examples

Examples of Conocer in the Imperfect Tense

Yo conocía a esa persona de antes. (I knew that person from before.)

Ellos conocían la ciudad muy bien. (They knew the city very well.)

Nosotros conocíamos al dueño del restaurante. (We knew the owner of the restaurant.)

Tú conocías los riesgos, ¿no? (You knew the risks, didn’t you?)

Ella conocía a mucha gente influyente. (She knew a lot of influential people.)

Yo conocía esa canción de memoria. (I knew that song by heart.)

Ellos conocían los atajos para llegar más rápido. (They knew the shortcuts to get there faster.)

Nosotros conocíamos las reglas del juego. (We knew the rules of the game.)

Tú conocías los beneficios de hacer ejercicio. (You knew the benefits of exercising.)

Ella conocía los trucos para ahorrar dinero. (She knew the tricks to save money.)

Yo conocía esa expresión, pero no su significado. (I knew that expression, but not its meaning.)

Ellos conocían los mejores lugares para comer. (They knew the best places to eat.)

Nosotros conocíamos las consecuencias de nuestras acciones. (We knew the consequences of our actions.)

Tú conocías la importancia de ser puntual. (You knew the importance of being on time.)

Ella conocía los trucos para aprender un idioma rápidamente. (She knew the tricks to learn a language quickly.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Conocer (to know) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.