FrenchConjugationAll tenses
Connaître (to know) · All tenses
By TutorLily Editorial Team
Connaître means 'to know' people, places, or things by familiarity — distinct from savoir (to know facts). 'Je connais Paris' (I know Paris) vs 'je sais que Paris est en France' (I know that Paris is in France). Spelled with circumflex on the 'i' in traditional French; post-2016 reform also accepts 'connaitre'. Irregular present (connais/connaît), participle 'connu'.
Conjugation
connaître · Présent
I know (a person/place)...
| To Know | Connaître |
|---|---|
| I know | je connais |
| you know | tu connais |
| he/she knows | il/elle/on connaît |
| we know | nous connaissons |
| you know | vous connaissez |
| they know | ils/elles connaissent |
Conjugation
connaître · Passé Composé
I met, I knew (first time)...
| To Know | Connaître |
|---|---|
| I knew | j'ai connu |
| you knew | tu as connu |
| he/she knew | il/elle/on a connu |
| we knew | nous avons connu |
| you knew | vous avez connu |
| they knew | ils/elles ont connu |
Conjugation
connaître · Imparfait
I knew, I was familiar with...
| To Know | Connaître |
|---|---|
| I used to know | je connaissais |
| you used to know | tu connaissais |
| he/she used to know | il/elle/on connaissait |
| we used to know | nous connaissions |
| you used to know | vous connaissiez |
| they used to know | ils/elles connaissaient |
Conjugation
connaître · Subjonctif Présent
(that) I know (by familiarity)...
| To Know | Connaître |
|---|---|
| I know | je connaisse |
| you know | tu connaisses |
| he/she know | il/elle/on connaisse |
| we know | nous connaissions |
| you know | vous connaissiez |
| they know | ils/elles connaissent |
Conjugation
connaître · Futur Simple
I will know...
| To Know | Connaître |
|---|---|
| I will know | je connaîtrai |
| you will know | tu connaîtras |
| he/she will know | il/elle/on connaîtra |
| we will know | nous connaîtrons |
| you will know | vous connaîtrez |
| they will know | ils/elles connaîtront |
Conjugation
connaître · Conditionnel Présent
I would know...
| To Know | Connaître |
|---|---|
| I would know | je connaîtrais |
| you would know | tu connaîtrais |
| he/she would know | il/elle/on connaîtrait |
| we would know | nous connaîtrions |
| you would know | vous connaîtriez |
| they would know | ils/elles connaîtraient |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate connaître in the present tense?
Connaître in the present is: je connais, tu connais, il/elle/on connaît, nous connaissons, vous connaissez, ils/elles connaissent. Singular forms use 'connai-'; plural forms use 'connaiss-' (double s). The il form 'connaît' carries a traditional circumflex on the 'i'.
What's the difference between connaître and savoir?
Connaître = to know by familiarity (people, places, things, films, books): 'je connais Marie' (I know Marie), 'je connais Lyon' (I know Lyon / I've been there). Savoir = to know facts, information, or how to do something: 'je sais la réponse' (I know the answer), 'je sais nager' (I know how to swim). Mixing them is one of the top-3 French learner confusion points. Rule of thumb: if you can state it, it's savoir; if you can experience it, it's connaître.
Why does 'connaît' have a circumflex?
Traditional French spelling adds a circumflex to the 'i' before 't' in -aître/-oître verbs (connaître, naître, paraître, croître): il connaît, il naît, il paraît, il croît. The 1990 spelling reform (made official in 2016) made the circumflex optional in these positions — 'il connait' is now also correct. But the circumflex remains the more common written form, especially in formal writing.
How do you form the passé composé of connaître?
Use avoir + the past participle 'connu' (no circumflex on the participle): j'ai connu, tu as connu, il a connu, nous avons connu, vous avez connu, ils ont connu.
Why does 'j'ai connu' mean 'I met' instead of 'I knew'?
Connaître is a meaning-shift preterite verb (like Spanish conocer). The imparfait 'je connaissais' keeps the static 'knew' meaning; the passé composé 'j'ai connu' marks the moment of first acquaintance: 'j'ai connu Marie à l'université' = I met Marie at university (for the first time). Same shift as savoir (j'ai su = I found out), pouvoir (j'ai pu = I managed to), vouloir (j'ai voulu = I tried to).
Should I use 'j'ai connu' or 'je connaissais'?
Use 'j'ai connu' for the moment of first meeting: 'j'ai connu mon mari à 25 ans' (I met my husband at 25). Use 'je connaissais' for ongoing past familiarity: 'à 30 ans, je le connaissais déjà depuis 5 ans' (at 30, I had already known him for 5 years). The contrast is start of acquaintance (passé composé) vs static knowing (imparfait).
How do you conjugate connaître in the imparfait?
Connaître is regular in the imparfait: je connaissais, tu connaissais, il/elle/on connaissait, nous connaissions, vous connaissiez, ils/elles connaissaient. Stem 'connaiss-' (double s) from nous form.
When do I use 'je connaissais' instead of 'j'ai connu'?
Use 'je connaissais' for ongoing past familiarity — what you already knew during some past stretch of time: 'en 2020, je connaissais déjà Paris' (in 2020, I already knew Paris). Use 'j'ai connu' for the moment of first acquaintance: 'j'ai connu Paris en 2018' (I first visited Paris in 2018). Same imparfait-vs-passé-composé contrast as Spanish conocía-vs-conocí.
How do I say 'when we met' in French?
'Quand nous nous sommes connus' (when we met) uses the reflexive 'se connaître' in the passé composé — literally 'when we knew each other'. The reflexive form is the standard French way to express mutual first acquaintance. For ongoing past acquaintance, use 'nous nous connaissions' (we knew each other).
How do you conjugate connaître in the subjonctif?
The subjonctif of connaître is: que je connaisse, que tu connaisses, qu'il connaisse, que nous connaissions, que vous connaissiez, qu'ils connaissent. Stem 'connaiss-' (double s) across all six persons. The circumflex of the il indicative 'connaît' does NOT appear in the subjonctif.
When do I need to use the subjonctif of connaître?
Use it after triggers of necessity, will, doubt, or contrast: 'il faut que je connaisse' (I need to know), 'je veux qu'il me connaisse' (I want him to know me), 'bien que tu connaisses' (although you know).
Does the subjonctif keep the double s?
Yes — the subjonctif stem 'connaiss-' (from ils 'connaissent' → drop -ent) preserves the double s of the plural present forms. All six subjonctif forms have 'connaiss-' as their stem.
How do you conjugate connaître in the futur?
The futur of connaître uses 'connaîtr-' (drop -e from infinitive): je connaîtrai, tu connaîtras, il/elle/on connaîtra, nous connaîtrons, vous connaîtrez, ils/elles connaîtront. The circumflex is traditional but optional after 2016 reform.
Should I write 'connaîtrai' or 'connaitrai'?
Both are now accepted. The traditional spelling 'connaîtrai' (with circumflex) remains the standard in most formal writing and most French dictionaries. The 1990 spelling reform (made official in 2016) accepts 'connaitrai' without circumflex. Choose one and stay consistent — but 'connaîtrai' is the safer default for SEO and formal contexts.
When do I use 'je connaîtrai' instead of 'je vais connaître'?
Both express future knowing/meeting. 'Je connaîtrai' (futur simple) feels slightly more formal. 'Je vais connaître' (futur proche) is more conversational for near-term plans.
How do you conjugate connaître in the conditionnel?
The conditionnel of connaître is: je connaîtrais, tu connaîtrais, il/elle/on connaîtrait, nous connaîtrions, vous connaîtriez, ils/elles connaîtraient. Same stem 'connaîtr-' as the futur, plus imperfect endings.
What does 'tu connaîtrais...?' mean in conversation?
'Tu connaîtrais...?' = 'Would you know...?' — a soft, polite way to ask if someone has knowledge or contacts. 'Tu connaîtrais un bon restaurant?' (Would you know a good restaurant?). The conditional softens 'tu connais...?' (do you know...?) into a more tentative, polite question.
How do I form a si-imparfait + conditionnel sentence with connaître?
Standard hypothetical: 'si je voyageais plus, je connaîtrais le monde' (if I traveled more, I would know the world). The if-clause uses the imparfait; the main clause uses the conditionnel. Never put the conditionnel in the 'si' clause.
Practice Connaître (To Know) in real conversations
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