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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 of conocer is used to express when you met someone or first became acquainted with something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I met Maria last summer” – “Conocí a María el verano pasado.”

This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. While the verb can mean both ‘to know’ and ‘to meet’, in the preterite it typically indicates the moment of first meeting or discovering.

How to Use Conocer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of conocer expresses the moment of meeting someone or first becoming acquainted with something.

To meet (for the first time): Describes the initial encounter with someone, for example Conocí a mi esposa en la universidad (I met my wife at university), or Conocieron a sus vecinos ayer (They met their neighbors yesterday).

To experience/discover: Indicates first exposure to a place or thing, for example Conocí París el año pasado (I got to know Paris last year).

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?)

Conocimos muchos lugares interesantes durante el viaje. (We got to know many interesting places during the trip.)

Por fin conocí a tus padres. (I finally met your parents.)

Conocieron la noticia ayer por la tarde. (They learned the news yesterday afternoon.)

¿Cuándo conociste la verdad? (When did you learn the truth?)

Conocí París por primera vez en primavera. (I got to know Paris for the first time in spring.)

Ayer conocimos al nuevo director. (Yesterday we met the new director.)

Conoció el éxito muy joven. (He/she experienced success very young.)

¿Conociste el museo nuevo? (Did you visit the new museum?)

Conocieron a sus compañeros de trabajo en la reunión. (They met their coworkers at the meeting.)

Finalmente conocimos su talento. (We finally recognized his talent.)

Conocí la ciudad a pie. (I got to know the city on foot.)

Conoció a su esposa en una fiesta. (He met his wife at a party.)

Conocieron la cultura local durante su estadía. (They got to know the local culture during their stay.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

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

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.