Conoscere and sapere. What’s the difference?

Conoscere and sapere might be confusing at first because they can have a very similar meaning.

In this article you’ll learn the meaning of conoscere and sapere and how to use them properly.

Conoscere

Conoscere is used in Italian when you want to say that you’re acquainted with someone or something. You know you’re acquainted with something because you’ve generally studied it, you’ve experienced it before.

Examples:

a. Conosco molto bene Luigi

I know very well Luigi

b. Conosco molto bene l’inglese

I know English very well

c. Conosci un buon ristorante a Milano?

Do you know a good restaurant in Milan?

As you can notice from the examples above, conoscere is always followed by a noun.

When conoscere is used with a past tense that expresses a finished action (passato prossimo, trapassato prossimo, passato remoto) it generally acquires the meaning of “to meet”.

Ho conosciuto tuo fratello nel 1974

I’ve known your brother in 1974

Avevo conosciuto tuo fratello nel 1974

I had known your brother in 1974

Conobbi tuo fratello nel 1974

I’ve known your brother in 1974

Sapere

Sapere is used in Italian to say that you know something.

Examples:

a. So che mi hai mentito

a. I know that you lied to me

b. Sai che Marcello si è sposato?

b. Do you know that Marcello got married?

c. Sai che ore sono?

c. Do you know the time?

As you can see from the examples above, sapere is usually (but not necessarily) followed by a subordinate clause.

If we compare the knowledge we have with conoscere and the knowledge we have with sapere, we can say that when we use conoscere we’ve an active knowledge (we’ve studied and learnt something), while when we use sapere we’ve a passive knowledge.

Sapere is also used as a modal verb to say that you’ve the ability to do something. In this case, sapere is followed by an infinitive.

d. Paola sa già leggere e scrivere

d. Paola can already read and write

e. Tu sai nuotare?

e. Can you swim?

Sometimes both conoscere and sapere can be used in the same sentence without any real difference in meaning. In this case, sapere is generally more used in informal Italian.

f. Conosci/sai l’inglese?

f. Do you know English?

g. Conosco/so la Divina Commedia a memoria

g. I know The Divine Comedy by heart

h. Conoscete/sapete la ricetta delle lasagne?

h. Do you know the recipe for lasagne?

However, sometimes there might be a little difference in the meaning of some sentences like:

i. Conosci/sai questa canzone?

i. Do you know this song?

Conosci questa canzone can mean both “have you already listened to this song?” and “Do you know this song by heart?”.

Sai questa canzone, by contrast, carries only one meaning “Do you know this song by heart?”.

Used to say that	Conoscere	Sapere
You know someone	X
You’ve an active knowledge of something	X
You’ve a passive knowledge of something		X

I hope I’ve helped you understand the meanings of conoscere and sapere and how to use them. If this article helped you a bit, don’t forget to share it with the world!

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Credits

Original image by PourquoiPas