The Difference Between Verbs Saber and Conhecer in Portuguese

Some English-speaking students might get confused with the difference between the verbs Saber and Conhecer in Portuguese. That is because they are both translated to ‘To Know’ in English. However, both verbs have different meanings in Portuguese and we are checking it now.

Saber and Conhecer in Portuguese

Let’s check the Simple Present of verbs Saber and Conhecer in Portuguese.

Verb Saber in Portuguese

1. Saber + interrogative pronouns: facts and information

We use verb Saber + interrogative pronouns in Portuguese to talk about facts or information. Let’s check some examples.

Vocês sabem quantos habitantes há no Brasil? (Do you know how many inhabitants are there in Brazil?)
Sim, eu sei qual é o nome dessa música. (Yes, I know the title of this song.)
João sabe por que Pedro não está mais trabalhando aqui? (Does João know why Pedro is not working here anymore?)
Nós não sabemos quem é Neymar. (We do not know who Neymar is.)

Interrogative pronouns: que, quem, qual, quanto, quais, quantos, quanta, quantas, o que, quem, como, por que, quando, onde.

Read more on our blog: Interrogative Pronouns in Portuguese.

2. Saber + verbs: abilities

In Portuguese, we use verb Saber + other verbs to describe someone’s abilities. Check the examples below:

Eu sei jogar xadrex. (I know how to play chess.)
Maria e Henrique não sabem cozinhar. (Maria and Henrique do not know how to cook.)
Lia sabe falar Português muito bem. (Lia knows how to speak Portuguese really well.)
Nós sabemos costurar. (We know how to sew.)

Verb Conhecer in Portuguese

1. Conhecer + someone / some place

We may use verb Conhecer in Portuguese to talk about someone or someplace we already met/visited before. We can also use a negative sentence for people or places we have never met/visit. Check the examples:

Eu conheço Bianca. (I know Bianca.)
Nós não conhecemos o Rio de Janeiro. (We do not know Rio de Janeiro.)
Ela conhece Búzios. (She knows Búzios.)
Cássio e Jonas não conhecem Marcos. (Cássio and Jonas do not know Marcos.)

Attention!

Eu conheço Paula. — I have met Paula before.
Eu sei quem é Paula. — I have never met Paula but I know who she is.

2. Conhecer + things / facts / situations

In Portuguese, we might also use verb Conhecer for things we know about as exemplified below.

Rodrigo não conhece o novo carro da Ford. (Rodrigo do not know the new car from Ford.)
Vocês conhecem a história do cinema brasileiro? (Do you know about the history of Brazilian cinema?)
Eu já conheço os problemas que os alunos enfrentam ao aprender Português. (I already know about the struggles the students have when learning Portuguese.)
Você conhece a Caminhos Language Centre? (Do you know Caminhos Language Centre?)

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