What does conocer in Spanish mean?

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

The word conocer in Spanish means know, know, know, recognise, meet, get to know your enemy, get to know the enemy, know well, see up close, know by name, know by sight, be up on, know the score, publish, announce, better the devil you know than the devil you don't. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word conocer

know

verbo transitivo (algo: estar informado)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El herrero conoce bien su oficio.
The blacksmith knows his job well.

know

verbo transitivo (a alguien: tener trato)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Conozco a tu padre desde hace cinco años: es mi abogado.
I've known your father five years; he's my lawyer.

know

verbo pronominal (personas: tener trato)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Ana y María se conocen desde hace cinco años.
Ana and Maria have known each other for five years.

recognise

verbo transitivo (identificar, distinguir) (UK: identify)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Sabía que eras tú porque te conocí por el vestido.
I knew it was you. I recognised you by the dress you were wearing.

meet

verbo transitivo (ver por primera vez) (person)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Aquella noche la conocí. Antes no la había visto en mi vida.
I met her that night. I had never seen her before in my life.

get to know your enemy, get to know the enemy

locución verbal (su forma de actuar)

Es estratégico conocer al enemigo antes de entrar en su territorio.
It's strategic to get to know the enemy before entering their territory.

know well

(a fondo)

Por mayor habilidad que tengas, conocer bien un idioma lleva tiempo.
As good as you may be, you know well that a language takes time.

see up close

(de primera mano)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Para admirar las maravillas de este país, tienes que conocerlo de cerca.

know by name

(haber oído de) (person, not by sight)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Conozco de nombre a esa actriz, pero no he tenido el gusto de conocerla en persona.
I know that actress by name, but I have never had the pleasure of meeting her in person.

know by sight

(de lejos) (name unknown)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
A Alicia la conozco de vista únicamente: nunca nos hablamos.
I only know Alice by sight; we have never spoken.

be up on

locución verbal (coloquial (estar enterado del tema)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Pregúntale mejor a la doctora Ruiz que conoce mejor el paño.
You had better ask Dr. Ruiz, she is more up on it.

know the score

locución verbal (coloq. (conocer de un asunto)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Cuando conoció el percal le entró miedo y huyó de la ciudad.

publish

locución verbal (hacer público)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El laboratorio dio a conocer los resultados de su investigación.
The laboratory made the results of its research public.

announce

locución verbal (hacerse conocido)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Su muerte se dio a conocer en un comunicado oficial.
His death was announced in an official statement.

better the devil you know than the devil you don't

expresión (temor a lo desconocido)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
No quiero otro jefe, mejor malo conocido que bueno por conocer.
I don't want another boss, but better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of conocer in Spanish, 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 Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.