Saber vs. Conhecer: How to Say “To Know” in Portuguese — Practice

Use saber for facts, information, and skills

Saber commonly means to know a fact or information, and it can mean to know how to do something. Use it with a clause for information—Sei onde fica (I know where it is)—or with an infinitive for a skill: sei cozinhar (I know how to cook). The verb is irregular, so learn its common forms as useful phrases: eu sei, você sabe, a gente sabe, vocês sabem.

In questions, Você sabe…? asks whether someone knows a fact or can do a skill. Add the information or action after sabe. If the answer is no, use não sei and, when useful, ask the person to explain or show you.

Use conhecer for people, places, and familiarity

Conhecer often means to be familiar with or acquainted with a person, place, or thing. Use it when you have met someone, visited a city, or experienced a restaurant: Conheço a Ana (I know Ana), Conheço Salvador (I know Salvador), and Conheço esse café (I know this café). It often points to familiarity from experience.

A common question is Você conhece…? for asking whether someone knows a person or place. In English, “Do you know Brazil?” could mean either factual knowledge or personal experience; Portuguese makes that distinction clearer with sabe about information and conhece about familiarity or having been there.

Compare the verbs in questions and answers

Try this decision: is the sentence about a fact or skill, or about familiarity with a person or place? If it is a fact or skill, start with saber. If it is someone or somewhere you know through contact or experience, start with conhecer. This is a strong beginner guideline, although a verb’s meaning can shift in specific contexts.

Notice the conjugation too: sei is the first-person present of saber, while conheço is the first-person present of conhecer. Repeat the full question and answer together so you practice both the meaning and form.

Practice the difference with people and travel

Write two questions for a new conversation: one about a skill or piece of information, and one about a person or place. Answer each with a complete sentence, then shorten the answer naturally. This gives you a practical way to use both verbs when meeting Brazilians or planning a trip.

Connect this lesson with the Real Life Portuguese guide to perguntar vs. pedir and the travel guides to asking for directions. I Speak Portuguese lessons let you practice these questions with Brazilian teachers. Listen for whether someone asks Você sabe…? or Você conhece…? and notice what kind of answer follows.

Remember: Use saber for facts, information, and skills; use conhecer for familiarity with people, places, and experiences. Attach the verb to what is being known.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Do you know where the station is?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você sabe onde fica a estação?

2. I know how to swim, but I don’t know how to surf.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu sei nadar, mas não sei surfar.

3. We know that the restaurant closes at ten.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente sabe que o restaurante fecha às dez.

4. Do you know any good cafés around here?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você conhece algum café bom por aqui?

5. I haven’t been to / don’t know Brasília yet.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ainda não conheço Brasília.

6. She knows the new teacher.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela conhece o novo professor.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Use saber for facts, information, and skills; use conhecer for familiarity with people, places, and experiences. Attach the verb to what is being known.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Saber vs. Conhecer: How to Say “To Know” in Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.