90 - “Savoir” Vs. ”Connaître”: Which One to Choose?

 
 

In this “Common Mistakes in French” series, you’ll learn when to use the verb “savoir” (to know) and when to use the verb “connaître” (also meaning “to know”) in French. 🤓

If you’d prefer to listen on the go, listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Links & Cheat Sheet

Transcript

Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!

Hello everyone! Bonjour à tous! 💖 Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! This is episode number 90, numéro 90!

In this episode, we'll look at two verbs that often get mixed up: "savoir" and "connaître."

They both mean "to know" but in most cases, they are not interchangeable. So you can't use one instead of the other.

This episode is part of the “Common Mistakes in French” series, where I share with you verbs, words, or expressions that often get mixed up! It is a great way of being aware and avoiding some common beginner mistakes.

Alright, so if you're new to the podcast, make sure you have your lesson's cheat sheet in front of you during the lesson. After the lesson, head over to the French Made Easy library to practice what you've learned today. All the links are in the episode notes.

Alright, so let's see when you should use "savoir" and when you should use "connaître."

Let's start with "savoir."

Savoir means "to know", as in "knowing how to", so a skill or knowing a piece of information.

Let's see some examples, it will be easier for you to understand.

We're going to start with the sentence in English first, so we can translate it step by step into French.

  • He knows how to swim. It is a skill. So I use the verb "savoir". → Il sait nager.

  • She knows how to speak French. It is also a skill. So I use the verb "savoir." → Elle sait parler français.

  • Do you know where the pharmacy is? I'm asking for information. So I use the verb "savoir" → Est-ce que vous savez où est la pharmacie ?

  • I don't know where she is. Here, we use the negation, it's bit trickier. But still, it's about knowing, or in this case not knowing, a piece of information. So I use the verb "savoir" → Je ne sais pas où elle est.

Ok, now let's move on to the verb "connaître.”

Connaître means "to know", as in being familiar with someone, something, or somewhere.

Again, let's see some examples:

  • I know his sister. It's not about knowing a skill or a piece of information. It's about being familiar or acquainted with someone. → Je connais sa sœur.

  • Do you know Paris? Here I'm asking if you know Paris, as in if you've been to Paris before. (So it's about being familiar with somewhere.)→ Est-ce que tu connais Paris ?

  • I know this song! I've heard this song before. I'm familiar with it. (So it's about being familiar with something) → Je connais cette chanson !

(Basically, if you can replace "to know" with "to be familiar with" then use the verb "connaître.")

Now I have a grammar tip for you, that is an add-on to everything I just taught you today.

If you look at the structure of all these sentences, you might notice, or you might not, but that's why I'm telling you, that the verb "savoir" is followed by verbs, and the verb "connaître" is followed by nouns.

Now, please remember that there are exceptions, that I'm not going to go into today, but in most cases, thinking about what comes after the verb "to know" will also give you a hint on whether you should use "savoir" or "connaître."

For example:

  • I don't know this country. Country is the noun. Use "connaître." → "Je ne connais pas ce pays."

  • I know his cousin very well. Cousin is the noun. Use "connaître." → "Je connais très bien son cousin. (ou sa cousine.)"

  • I don't know how to drive. Drive is the verb. Use "savoir." → "Je ne sais pas conduire."

  • I know that he is late. "Is" is the conjugated verb. Use "savoir." → "Je sais qu'il est en retard."

So let's do a recap':

  • Savoir means "to know", as in knowing a skill or knowing a piece of information.

  • Connaître means "to know", as in being familiar with someone, something, or somewhere.

And that concludes our lesson. I hope you enjoyed it. Now you know the difference between "savoir" and "connaître." and most importantly that in most cases they aren't interchangeable. I'll chat with you in the next episode.

 
Mathilde Kien7 Comments