What does connaître in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word connaître in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use connaître in French.

The word connaître in French means know, know, recognize, know, meet, meet with, undergo, know each other, know one another, know all about, know, know well, know in the biblical sense, know by name, know by reputation, know by sight, win recognition, know the score, know how to deflect something, achieve posterity, know the dangers of , be aware of the dangers of, know the inner workings, know your limitations, know inside out, know like the back of your hand, know a place inside out, know a place like the back of your hand, achieve great success, experience a record crowd, know a fair bit about, introduce, introduce to, introduce yourself, make a name for yourself, I want to know what you really think, not know from Adam, know your stuff when it comes to , know what you are doing when it comes to. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word connaître

know

verbe transitif (avoir appris)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Bernard connaît bien ses animaux.
Bernard really knows his animals.

know

verbe transitif (être au courant, savoir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Je connais un bon coiffeur.
I know of a good hairdresser.

recognize

verbe transitif (pouvoir identifier) (US)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Je ramasse les champignons que je connais bien.
I pick mushrooms that I'm sure I recognize.

know

verbe transitif (avoir appris, savoir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Il connaît bien l'anglais et le chinois.
He knows English and Chinese quite well.

meet

verbe transitif (faire la connaissance)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
J'ai connu Marie chez des amis.
I met Marie at my friends' house.

meet with

verbe transitif (rencontrer, être confronté à [qch])

(phrasal verb, transitive, inseparable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, not divisible--for example,"go with" [=combine nicely]: "Those red shoes don't go with my dress." NOT [S]"Those red shoes don't go my dress with."[/S])
Il est mort avant que son entreprise connaisse le succès.
He died before his company could experience success.

undergo

verbe transitif (posséder, comporter) (changes)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Cette voiture a connu une dizaine de versions en 15 ans.
There have been ten versions of this car in 15 years.

know each other, know one another

verbe pronominal (être en relation avec)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Depuis quand vous connaissez-vous ?
How long have you known each other (or: one another)?

know all about

verbe pronominal (être habile, expert)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Marie s'y connaît en couture.
Marie knows all about sewing.

know

verbe transitif (vieux (avoir une relation sexuelle avec [qqn]) (Biblical, archaic)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Il l'a connue dès le troisième soir.
He had carnal knowledge of her from the third evening.

know well

locution verbale (maîtriser)

know in the biblical sense

locution verbale (soutenu (avoir une relation sexuelle avec [qqn]) (have sex: euphemism)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Dans le temps, on reprochait aux gens d'avoir connu bibliquement leur époux avant le mariage.

know by name

locution verbale (avoir entendu parler de [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mr Dupont ? Je le connais de nom mais je ne l'ai jamais rencontré.

know by reputation

locution verbale (savoir par ouï-dire)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Je connais ce plombier de réputation mais n'ai jamais eu recours à ses services.

know by sight

locution verbale (identifier [qqn] visuellement)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Je la connais seulement de vue, je ne lui ai jamais parlé.

win recognition

locution verbale (être au sommet de son art)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

know the score

locution verbale (figuré (être au courant de la procédure) (informal, figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

know how to deflect something

locution verbale (savoir comment parer [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

achieve posterity

locution verbale (être connu jusqu'à la fin des temps)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

know the dangers of , be aware of the dangers of

locution verbale (savoir les défauts, les risques)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

know the inner workings

locution verbale (savoir le fonctionnement)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

know your limitations

locution verbale (savoir ses possibilités)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

know inside out, know like the back of your hand

locution verbale (savoir parfaitement)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Ce petit garçon connaît ses tables de multiplication sur le bout des doigts.

know a place inside out, know a place like the back of your hand

locution verbale (familier (connaître un endroit par cœur)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

achieve great success

locution verbale (être très apprécié)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

experience a record crowd

locution verbale (être très fréquenté)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
La semaine de Noël, les grands magasins connaissent un record d'affluence.

know a fair bit about

locution verbale (être calé, savoir beaucoup)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Paul travaille dans cette usine depuis plus de vingt ans, il en connaît un rayon.

introduce

locution verbale (permettre de rencontrer [qqn])

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Ma femme m'a fait connaître cette artiste.

introduce to

locution verbale (initier à [qch])

J'ai fait connaître la photo à mes enfants.
I introduced my children to photography.

introduce yourself

(indiquer son identité)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Le commercial se fit connaître à la loge.
The salesman introduced himself at the lodge.

make a name for yourself

(commencer à être connu)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Cette avocate se fit connaître grâce à cette affaire.
This lawyer made a name for himself thanks to this case.

I want to know what you really think

(que penses-tu vraiment ?)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

not know from Adam

locution verbale (ne pas connaître du tout)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

know your stuff when it comes to , know what you are doing when it comes to

locution verbale (être compétent)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Elle s'y connaît en mécanique.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of connaître in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Related words of connaître

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.