Conocer (to know) · Preterite
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Conocer in the Spanish preterite (pretérito indefinido) is: yo conocí, tú conociste, él/ella/usted conoció, nosotros/as conocimos, vosotros/as conocisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes conocieron. The preterite of conocer often means 'met' (for the first time) rather than 'knew'. 'Conocí a Juan en la universidad' = 'I met Juan in college'. This is part of the meaning-shift preterite family alongside saber (found out), poder (managed to), and querer (tried to).
| To Know | Conocer |
|---|---|
| I knew | yo conocí |
| you knew | tú conociste |
| he/she knew | él/ella/usted conoció |
| we knew | nosotros/as conocimos |
| you knew | vosotros/as conocisteis |
| they knew | ellos/ellas/ustedes conocieron |
Conocer (to know) in context
Sentences that use conocer in the preterite. Tap each to hear it.
I met my husband at university.
Where did you meet your best friend?
My uncle met a famous painter.
We got to know Rome together in 2019.
You met your neighbors at the party.
The musicians met at a concert.
Working with the preterite
The preterite describes a finished past action with a clear boundary — "ayer comí pizza" (yesterday I ate pizza). The key contrast is with the imperfect, which describes ongoing or repeated past actions without a defined endpoint. If you can substitute "used to" or "was doing" in English, you usually want the imperfect; if the action is one-and-done, you want the preterite. The irregular preterites (fui, hice, dije, tuve, vine, supe) are the highest-frequency in Spanish — front-load them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate conocer in the preterite?
Why does 'conocí' mean 'I met' instead of 'I knew'?
Should I use 'conocí' (preterite) or 'conocía' (imperfect)?
Practice Conocer (To Know) in real conversations
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