Conocer Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Conocer,” means “to know someone” or “to be familiar with”. It is one of the essential verbs in Spanish, important for expressing familiarity and acquaintance in various contexts.

This verb falls into the category of irregular verbs and requires a specific stem change and verbs ending for certain forms.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and within this comprehensive guide to ”conocer” conjugation patterns you will find a complete verb chart for each of the various tenses in Spanish.

Irregular verbs like “conocer” may initially seem daunting, but with consistent practice and application, they can become as intuitive as regular ones.

From present to past, subjunctive to conditional, you’re about to learn how to conjugate “conocer” in different tenses and find sample sentences with English translations to help you use this Spanish verb just as native speakers do.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	conozco
you	tú	conoces
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	conoce
we	nosotros,nosotras	conocemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	conocéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	conocen

When We Use the Present Tense

In Spanish, the present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or are habitual.

As mentioned, “conocer” is classified as an irregular verb. The verb stem is formed by removing the infinitive form ending -er, resulting in the stem conoc-.

However, in the first person form, there is a stem alteration to conozc-, as you will see in the “conocer” conjugation chart above, and within the example sentences below.

Examples of the Verb “Conocer” in the Present Tense:

• Yo conozco a María. (I know Maria.)
• Tú conoces el restaurante nuevo. (You know the new restaurant.)
• Él conoce bien la ciudad. (He knows the city well.)
• Nosotros conocemos a su familia. (We know his family.)
• Vosotros conocéis la historia. (You all know the story.)
• Ellos conocen la verdad. (They know the truth.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	conocí
you	tú	conociste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	conoció
we	nosotros, nosotras	conocimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	conocisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	conocieron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions that occurred at a specific point in the past.

When we use this past tense for “conocer,” we typically refer to specific instances or events in the past when someone met or became acquainted with someone or something.

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Conocer” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo conocí a tu hermano ayer. (I met your brother yesterday.)
• Tú conociste ese lugar el verano pasado. (You visited that place last summer.)
• Él conoció a su esposa en la universidad. (He met his wife in college.)
• Nosotros conocimos al presidente en la conferencia. (We met the president at the conference.)
• Vosotros conocisteis la noticia hace una semana. (You all heard the news a week ago.)
• Ellos conocieron el resultado del examen. (They found out the exam result.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	conocía
you	tú	conocías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	conocía
we	nosotros, nosotras	conocíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	conocíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	conocían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense describes past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or continuous.

In the context of “conocer”, the translation in the imperfect tense is “used to know” or “was knowing”.

As you should be able to recognise from the translations, this tense portrays past actions that were repeated or ongoing without emphasizing a specific endpoint.

Examples of Imperfect “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo conocía la ciudad muy bien. (I knew the city very well.)
• Tú conocías a mi abuela cuando éramos niños. (You knew my grandmother when we were children.)
• Él conocía a todos los vecinos. (He knew all the neighbors.)
• Nosotros conocíamos ese restaurante desde hacía años. (We knew that restaurant for years.)
• Vosotros conocíais la historia de memoria. (You all knew the story by heart.)
• Ellos conocían el secreto. (They knew the secret.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	conoceré
you	tú	conocerás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	conocerá
we	nosotros,nosotras	conoceremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	conoceréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	conocerán

When We Use the Future Tense

The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future.

This is not a difficult tense to learn. All we need to do is learn the endings and place them on the end of the infinitive verb form.

With the Spanish verb “conocer”, the future tense refers to a time when somebody is supposed to meet another person or learn something new at a certain point in the future.

Examples of the Future Tense “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo conoceré a tu novio pronto. (I will meet your boyfriend soon.)
• Tú conocerás la verdad algún día. (You will know the truth someday.)
• Él conocerá nuevos lugares en su viaje. (He will discover new places on his trip.)
• Nosotros conoceremos a tus padres en la fiesta. (We will meet your parents at the party.)
• Vosotros conoceréis más sobre el tema después. (You all will learn more about the topic later.)
• Ellos conocerán al ganador del concurso. (They will meet the contest winner.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	conocería
you	tú	conocerías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	conocería
we	nosotros,nosotras	conoceríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	conoceríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	conocerían

When We Use the Conditional

The conditional tense is used to express what would happen under certain conditions or to convey polite requests or hypothetical situations.

When we use the conditional tense with “conocer” in Spanish, it typically denotes hypothetical situations or actions that would happen under certain conditions.

We can use this tense within the same sentence as the imperfect subjunctive. Doing so will also help you to achieve high marks in speaking exams.

Remember that this tense is often used to express politeness, make requests, or convey hypothetical scenarios.

Examples of the Conditional “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo conocería más personas si saliera más. (I would meet more people if I went out more.)
• Tú conocerías la respuesta si estudiaras más. (You would know the answer if you studied more.)
• Él conocería otras culturas si viajara más. (He would know other cultures if he traveled more.)
• Nosotros conoceríamos mejor la ciudad si viviéramos aquí. (We would know the city better if we lived here.)
• Vosotros conoceríais más sobre el tema si leyerais libros al respecto. (You all would know more about the topic if you read books about it.)
• Ellos conocerían el resultado si preguntaran. (They would know the result if they asked.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	conocido
you	tú	has	conocido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	conocido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	conocido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	conocido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	conocido

When We Use the Perfect Tense

We use the perfect tense when we want to express actions that have been completed in the recent past.

When we use the perfect tense with “conocer” in Spanish, we indicate that actions that have been completed in the recent past.

The literal translation is “have known” or “have been acquainted with”.

In order to form “conocer” in the perfect tense, we need to conjugate “haber” and add the past participle “conocido.”

Do not confuse this with the gerund form, “conociendo” which means “knowing”.

Examples of the Perfect Tense “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo he conocido a tu hermana. (I have met your sister.)
• Tú has conocido ese lugar antes. (You have visited that place before.)
• Él ha conocido a su ídolo. (He has met his idol.)
• Nosotros hemos conocido personas interesantes en el viaje. (We have met interesting people on the trip.)
• Vosotros habéis conocido la historia desde pequeños. (You all have known the story since childhood.)
• Ellos han conocido la noticia desde esta mañana. (They have known the news since this morning.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	conocido
you	tú	habías	conocido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	conocido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	conocido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	conocido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	conocido

When We Use the Pluperfect Tense

When we use the pluperfect tense of “conocer” in Spanish, we indicate actions that had been completed before another action or point in the past.

So, the literal translation is “had known” or “had been acquainted with”.

When we want to form “conocer” in the pluperfect tense, we need to conjugate “haber” and add the past participle “conocido.”

Examples of the Pluperfect “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo había conocido a tu primo antes de la fiesta. (I had met your cousin before the party.)
• Tú habías conocido a ese actor antes de ser famoso. (You had known that actor before he became famous.)
• Él había conocido a su mejor amigo desde la infancia. (He had known his best friend since childhood.)
• Nosotros habíamos conocido ese restaurante antes de mudarnos. (We had known that restaurant before moving.)
• Vosotros habíais conocido la noticia antes que nosotros. (You all had known the news before us.)
• Ellos habían conocido la verdad antes del juicio. (They had known the truth before the trial.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	conocido
you	tú	habrás	conocido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	conocido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	conocido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	conocido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	conocido

When We Use the Future Perfect Tense

We use the future perfect tense of “conocer” in Spanish to indicate actions that will have been completed by a specific point in the future.

This tense is employed to express instances where someone will have met or become acquainted with someone or something before a designated future event, emphasizing the completion of the action prior to that future moment.

Again, we need to use the verb “haber” and the past participle of “conocer” to create this tense.

Examples of the Future Perfect “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo habré conocido a tu familia para Navidad. (I will have met your family by Christmas.)
• Tú habrás conocido todos los monumentos antes de irte. (You will have seen all the monuments before leaving.)
• Él habrá conocido muchas personas después del evento. (He will have met many people after the event.)
• Nosotros habremos conocido la respuesta para mañana. (We will have found out the answer by tomorrow.)
• Vosotros habréis conocido la ciudad entera antes de regresar a casa. (You all will have explored the entire city before returning home.)
• Ellos habrán conocido el resultado antes de que termine el día. (They will have known the result before the day ends.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	conocido
you	tú	habrías	conocido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	conocido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	conocido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	conocido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	conocido

When We Use the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense expresses actions that would have been completed under certain conditions.

This tense is employed to express hypothetical situations or actions that would have occurred before a specified point in the past, emphasizing the completion of the action under those hypothetical circumstances.

Once again, we need to use the verb “haber” and the past participle of “conocer” to create this tense.

Examples of Conditional Perfect “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo habría conocido más gente si hubiera salido anoche. (I would have met more people if I had gone out last night.)
• Tú habrías conocido el problema si hubieras estado aquí. (You would have known the problem if you had been here.)
• Él habría conocido a su ídolo si hubiera llegado temprano. (He would have met his idol if he had arrived early.)
• Nosotros habríamos conocido la verdad si nos hubieran contado. (We would have known the truth if they had told us.)
• Vosotros habríais conocido más sobre el tema si lo hubierais investigado. (You all would have known more about the topic if you had researched it.)
• Ellos habrían conocido la solución si hubieran preguntado. (They would have known the solution if they had asked.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	conozca
you	tú	conozcas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	conozca
we	nosotros,nosotras	conozcamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	conozcáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	conozcan

When We Use the Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive in Spanish is employed to express desires, doubts, or uncertainty about actions in the present or future.

This tense is very common in Spanish. It conveys wishes, doubts, or hypothetical situations regarding knowing or becoming acquainted with someone or something in the present or future.

Examples of the Present Subjunctive “Conocer” Conjugation

• Yo quiero que tú conozcas a mis amigos. (I want you to meet my friends.)
• Es importante que él conozca la verdad. (It’s important that he knows the truth.)
• Dudo que nosotros conozcamos al ganador. (I doubt that we know the winner.)
• Espero que vosotros conozcáis la respuesta. (I hope you all know the answer.)
• Ojalá que ellos conozcan el camino. (I hope they know the way.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	conociera, conociese
you	tú	conocieras, conocieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	conociera, conociese
we	nosotros,nosotras	conociéramos, conociésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	conocierais, conocieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	conocieran, conociesen

When We Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used to express desires, doubts, or uncertainty about actions in the past.

As I mentioned earlier, you can use this tense in the same sentence as the conditional tense, which I am showing you below with the example sentences.

Examples of “Conocer” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Yo quería que tú conocieras a mi familia. (I wanted you to meet my family.)
• Dudaba que él conociera la respuesta. (I doubted that he knew the answer.)
• Esperábamos que nosotros conociéramos la ciudad juntos. (We hoped that we would explore the city together.)
• Ojalá que vosotros conocierais la verdad. (I wish you all knew the truth.)
• Era importante que ellos conocieran el plan. (It was important that they knew the plan.)

Affirmative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡conoce!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡conozca!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡conozcamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡conoced!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡conozcan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Spanish, used with “conocer,” is employed to give commands or orders and is used when instructing someone to meet or become acquainted with someone or something.

In honesty, it’s not a verb you would typically expect to see in the imperative form.

Nonetheless, here are the ”conocer” conjugations for the imperative mood in Spanish.

Examples of How to Conjugate “Conocer” in the Affirmative Imperative

• Tú: Conoce a mi amigo. (Meet my friend.)
• Usted: Conozca a este lugar. (Get to know this place.)
• Vosotros: Conoced la ciudad. (Explore the city.)
• Ustedes: Conozcan a su jefe. (Meet your boss.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no conozcas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no conozca!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no conozcamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no conozcáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no conozcan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative Spanish verb conjugation for “conocer” is employed to give commands or orders in a negative manner, typically to forbid someone from meeting or becoming acquainted with someone or something.

Here are some examples of how to form the conjugated forms for irregular verbs like ”conocer” for this mood.

Examples of How to Conjugate “Conocer” in the Negative Imperative

• Tú: No conozcas a ese hombre. (Don’t meet that man.)
• Usted: No conozca ese barrio. (Don’t explore that neighborhood.)
• Vosotros: No conocáis a esa persona. (Don’t get to know that person.)
• Ustedes: No conozcan a ese grupo. (Don’t meet that group.)

Online Spanish Courses & Grammar Courses

For a full list of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Courses, check out this full list of online Spanish courses. 

I put this list together myself, and it comprises a mixture of courses that offer Spanish grammar practice for all levels, conversational practice, listening and writing exercises in Spanish, free Spanish courses, and a whole lot more. 

The fastest way to learn Spanish is to test a mixture of Spanish resources, including Spanish verb conjugation, and choose the course that coincides most with your learning style. 

In addition to online Spanish courses, on this site you will find a wide range of Spanish podcasts, Spanish apps, Spanish YouTube channels, and both online and physical Spanish language schools.