Both Saber and Conocer are translated into English with the verb "to Know." They represent two different types of "knowing":

• Conocer means "to be familiar with, to be acquainted with"
• Saber means "to know a fact, information, data; to know how to do a skill".

Let's look at each verb individually. They cover different concepts and there is no crossing over the solid line between them.

Saber

1. We use Saber to express or describe what we know "how to do" by following it with an infinitive. Only Saber can be followed by an infinitive.

Yo sé montar a caballo.	I know how to horseback ride.
Jessica sabe bailar la salsa muy bien.	Jessica knows how to dance the salsa very well.
Vershara sabe jugar al golf, dibujar y pintar.	Vershara knows how to play golf, draw and paint.
Ustedes saben hablar español.	You all know how to speak Spanish.



2. We use Saber only when talking about facts and information. We can use to it explain that we know the "what-when-how-why-who"s of situations and events.

Rochelle sabe si hay una fiesta el viernes.	Rochelle knows if there is a party on Friday.
Yo sé que la tienda está cerrada.	I know (that) the store is closed.
Brian y Nicole saben donde están las clases aeróbicas.	Brian and Nicole know where the aerobics classes are.
Anisa, Dan y yo sabemos que hay un examen hoy.	Anisa, Dan and I know there is a test today.
Ellos saben cuándo es el concierto.	They know when the concert is.
Sabes el nombre de la mujer.	You know the woman's name.
Mauricio sabe de béisbol	Mauricio knows a lot about baseball (knows baseball rules & stuff)



3. Only Saber can be followed with que, qué, donde, dónde, si, cuándo [that, what?, where, where?, if, when?...] etc. These are words that introduce facts.

Don't forget that Saber has an irregular Yo form: Sé

Conocer

• We use Conocer when we talk about someone we know or places we are familiar with. When we talk about "knowing" a person, we have to remember to use the Personal "a".

We also use Conocer to talk about general concepts or subjects:

• Conozco la poesía del Siglo de Oro.
  • I'm familiar with Golden Age Poetry.
• Ella quiere conocer tú país
  • She wants to visit (become familiar with) your country
• Conocíamos sus actividades.
  • We were aware of (knew about) his activities.