Do you "know" the difference between the Spanish verbs saber and conocer? Although they both mean "to know" in Spanish, there are subtle differences between them. Let's explore them!
The Spanish verb saber describes "knowing" something concrete, such as a fact, information, or skill. Let's take a look at each of these subcategories with examples from our Yabla Spanish library.
The verb saber in Spanish is used to talk about "knowing" (or not knowing!) specific facts:
¿Ya sabes que el pez globo es venenoso?
Do you know that the puffer fish is poisonous?
Caption 33, Guillermina y Candelario El paseo sobre el mar
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No sabía que estaba embarazada.
I didn't know she was pregnant.
Caption 75, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 2 - Part 11
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Note that the Spanish verb saber falls into the category of Spanish verbs that change meaning in the preterite tense, as its meaning changes in the preterite from "to know" to "to find out."
Así supe que su nombre era Lucía,
That's how I found out that her name was Lucía,
Caption 30, Luis Guitarra Historia de Lucía - Part 1
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The Spanish verb saber can also describe having knowledge of particular information:
¿Y sabes a qué hora abren?
And do you know what time they open?
Caption 25, Español para principiantes Hablando de ubicaciones
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¿Eh? Estoy seguro que ella sabe dónde está el Gringo.
Right? I am sure that she knows where the Gringo is.
Caption 44, Yago 3 La foto - Part 6
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When talking about skills, the formula saber + infinitive is used to say that someone "knows how" to do something. Let's take a look.
Pues yo quería mostrarle que también sé hacer muchas cosas.
Well, I wanted to show her that I know how to do a lot of things too.
Caption 37, Guillermina y Candelario Una Amiga muy Presumida - Part 1
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En la vida hay que saber relajarse,
In life, you need to know how to relax,
Caption 44, Ana Teresa 5 principios del yoga
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The Spanish verb conocer, on the other hand, refers to being familiar with or acquainted with something, which could be a person, place, or thing. Let's see some examples from each category.
The Spanish verb conocer is employed to talk about "knowing" people, in the sense of being acquainted with them.
Por ejemplo: Conozco a María.
For example: I know María.
Caption 11, Lecciones con Carolina Saber y conocer
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Y cuando pasó el tiempo conocí a Edgar, ¿no? Nos conocimos en la escuela.
And as time went by I met Edgar, right? We met at school.
Caption 14, Belanova Entrevista - Part 2
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Notice that, in both examples above, the Spanish pronoun a appears after the verb conocer and before the person. This so-called personal a is necessary when a person is the object of a Spanish sentence. Additionally, we see that the meaning of the verb conocer also changes meaning in the preterite from "to know" to "to meet."
Although it is sometimes translated as "to know," when used in reference to places, the Spanish verb conocer usually denotes having actually been somewhere rather than just awareness of its existence. That said, let's take a look at some alternative translations:
¿Conoces las Islas Canarias?
Have you been to the Canary Islands?
Caption 89, Clase Aula Azul El verbo gustar - Part 5
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Conocí las islas Barú de... de Colombia
I visited the Barú Islands in... in Colombia
Caption 89, Cleer y Lida Juego de preguntas y respuestas - Part 2
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The verb conocer in Spanish can also refer to familiarity with objects and might thus be translated with either "to know" or "to be familiar with":
Realmente son frases que vuestros compañeros no conocen, entonces es una información nueva para ellos.
They really are sentences that your classmates don't know, so it's new information for them.
Captions 45-46, Clase Aula Azul Información con subjuntivo e indicativo - Part 4
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¡Ah! Pues yo no conocía esta tablet.
Oh! Well, I wasn't familiar with this tablet.
Caption 74, El Aula Azul Ester y Paula
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Having seen these parameters and examples, we hope you now "know" the difference between saber and conocer in Spanish! To further explore this topic, check out Lecciones con Carolina: Saber y conocer. And, don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
The focus of today's lesson will be "verbs like gustar." But... what is gustar like?!
The Spanish verb gustar describes the concept of "liking" someone or something. In contrast to English, where we'd say "We" (the subject) "like cheese" (the object), in Spanish, whatever "we like" becomes the subject that projects the action "onto us." This is similar to how the English verb "to please" functions, e.g., "Cheese pleases us," where "the cheese" carries out the action of "pleasing" (us). For an in-depth exploration of this topic, we recommend this two-part lesson on Gustar vs. "To Like": A Difference in Perception. In the meantime, we'll give you a few tips regarding conjugating the verb gustar and verbs that act in a similar fashion.
1. An indirect object pronoun (me (to me), te (to you), le (to him/her/formal "you"), nos (to us), os (informal plural "to you"), and les ("to them" or plural "to you")) is used to indicate who is "being pleased," or, in English, the person who "likes" someone or something.
2. Regardless of tense, the verb gustar is conjugated in accordance with the Spanish subject (what is "being liked" or "pleasing").
3. If the subject is a noun, the definite article is used (el, la, los, las, which mean "the").
4. Optionally, a phrase with a (to) + a prepositional pronoun (mí (me), ti (you), él (him), ella (her), usted (formal "you"), nosotros (we), vosotros (informal plural "you"), or ustedes (plural "you")) can be added before or after the verb for emphasis. A direct object may also be introduced with a.
Armed with this information, let's look at a few examples:
A mí me gustan las hamburguesas.
I like hamburgers.
Caption 11, Español para principiantes Los colores
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Me gustas.
I like you.
Caption 44, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 12
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¡A las niñas grandes les gustan los coches deportivos, les gusta el dinero, les gusta bailar!
Big girls like sports cars, they like money, they like "bailar"!
Captions 22-23, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 3 - Sam aprende a ligar - Part 3
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In accordance with our tips, in all of these examples, the indirect object pronoun indicates or agrees with who is "liking"/"being pleased," with me being "I" and les agreeing with the direct object, las niñas grande. The verb gustar, on the other hand, agrees with who or what "pleases"/"is liked" in English: the plural gustan with las hamburguesas and los coches deportivos, gustas with the implied tú (you), and gusta with el dinero and the infinitive bailar.
Now that we've recalled how gustar functions, we bet you're dying to know Yabla's Top Ten Verbs Like Gustar in the sense of the "reversal" of the roles of the traditional subject and object. Let's take a look.
Although this verb is most often translated as just "hurt(s)," it might help you to think of the more literal translations for the examples below: "My legs hurt (me)" and "your head hurts (you)," respectively.
¡Me duelen las piernas!
My legs hurt!
Caption 45, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 3 - Sam aprende a ligar - Part 1
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Cuando tú estás enfermo, te duele la cabeza,
When you're ill, your head hurts,
Captions 32-33, El Aula Azul Las Profesiones - Part 2
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Note that as gustar can be translated as "to like," encantar is most often translated as "to love." However, it might behoove you to think of the English word "enchant(s)" to help remember the Spanish structure, e.g. "Feathers enchant me."
Me encantan las plumas.
I love feathers.
Caption 33, Ariana Cena especial
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Aquí, a los alemanes les encanta sentarse afuera
Here, Germans love to sit outside
Caption 21, Venezolanos por el mundo Zoraida en Alemania - Part 2
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Es una ciudad que me fascina,
It's a city that fascinates me
Caption 16, Venezolanos por el mundo Gio en Barcelona
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y me fascinaba perderme entre sus calles
and it fascinated me to get lost in its streets
Caption 11, Venezolanos por el mundo Gio en Barcelona
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An alternative translation for this second caption might be: "and I loved getting lost in its streets."
While "need" is the most often-heard translation for the verb hacer falta, you can think of the following examples with "to be necessary for" to more closely imitate their Spanish structure, i.e., "the only thing that's necessary for us" and "Those songs are necessary for me."
lo único que nos hace falta es una voz líder.
the only thing we need is a lead singer.
Caption 31, X6 1 - La banda - Part 3
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Me hacen falta esas cantadas
I need those songs
Caption 66, Félix Carlos Hello Chamo
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While the English verbs "to matter (to)" and "be important (to)" work much like the Spanish verb gustar, importar plus an indirect object pronoun can also occasionally be translated as "to care about."
Me importás vos.
You matter to me.
Caption 23, Yago 6 Mentiras - Part 2
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¡Mis hijos me importan!
I care about my children!
Caption 60, Yago 3 La foto - Part 6
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This second example could also be translated more literally as "My children matter to me!"
The verb interesar can be translated as either "to interest" or "be interested." For example, if you say, Me interesa la ciencia, either the more literal "science interests me" or "I'm interested in science" suffice as possible translations. Let's see a couple of examples, noting the inclusion of the word atraer (to attract), which also functions like gustar.
no me atraen ni me interesan...
they neither attract me nor interest me...
Caption 8, Enanitos Verdes Amores Lejanos
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si les interesa saber cómo es la cumbia, en Yabla pueden encontrar un video
if you're interested in knowing what cumbia is like, you can find a video on Yabla
Captions 90-91, Cleer y Lida El Carnaval de Barranquilla - Part 2
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Since the English verb "to bother" works much like the Spanish molestar, the translations for sentences with the verb molestar plus an indirect object pronoun should seem pretty straightforward for English speakers.
¿Por qué te molestan tanto?
Why do they bother you so much?
Caption 3, Guillermina y Candelario La Peluqueria del Mar - Part 2
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¡No, no me molestas para nada! -Adiós.
No, you don't bother me at all! -Goodbye.
Caption 48, Yago 9 Recuperación - Part 1
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In our first example below, a more literal translation would be "it seems cool to them." However, "to think" is a very common translation for parecer(le) a alguien (to seem to someone). For more on the verb parecer, check out Clase Aula Azul's seven-part series on El verbo parecer as well as Doctora Consejo's video on Parecer y parecerse.
Están muy interesados en la música, les parece chévere.
They're very interested in the music, they think it's cool.
Caption 54, Cleer Entrevista a Lila
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¿Te parezco una mujer?
Do I seem like a woman to you?
Caption 29, Muñeca Brava 8 Trampas - Part 1
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When you want to talk about "being worried" or "worrying" yourself, the reflexive verb preocuparse (to worry) is the one to choose. But in the case that something worries you, the verb preocupar plus an indirect object pronoun can help you to describe this.
Sí, te preocupa. -¿A mí qué me preocupa? -¿Morena?
Yes, it worries you. -What worries me? -Morena?
Caption 32, Yago 9 Recuperación - Part 4
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para hablarles de un tema que parece del pasado pero que nos preocupa a todos en el presente.
to talk to you about a topic that seems [to be] from the past but which concerns us all in the present.
Captions 28-29, La Sub30 Familias - Part 1
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In literal terms, quedar plus an indirect object pronoun can be thought of as "what remains" or "is left for" someone or something. Let's take a look at this verb in action:
Como: Todavía me queda tiempo.
Like: I still have time.
Caption 110, Escuela BCNLIP Clase con Javi: el futuro - Part 10
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todavía nos quedan muchos más prefijos para ver.
we still have a lot more prefixes left to look at.
Caption 52, Carlos explica Los prefijos en español - Part 4
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Note that this very same verb can also refer to how something "looks on" or "fits" someone when accompanied by adjectives such as bien, mal, grande, etc.
Que me pasa a mí es que los guantes siempre me quedan grandes.
What happens to me is that the gloves are always too big for me.
Caption 78, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 5
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With this final example, we conclude our list of Yabla's Top Ten Verbs Like Gustar. While these are just a handful of the many verbs that function like gustar in Spanish, we hope that this lesson has aided your understanding of how they work and look forward to your suggestions and comments.
If you visited a Spanish speaking country during the last spring break, chances are you were invited to a party. Maybe it was a birthday party, a wedding or, most likely, just a meet-up with friends. No matter the occasion, there are some Spanish words and phrases that always come in handy at a party. Let's see a few examples:
The word salud means a lot of different things in Spanish. The basic meaning is, of course, "health," but this tiny word is also uttered as a courtesy when someone sneezes (the underlying meaning is that the person wishes that you haven't got the flu), and it's also customarily used to make a toast (the underlying meaning is that the person wishes the drink contributes to everybody's health and well-being). There are different ways to use it.
You can simply use salud as English uses the word "cheers":
¡Salud! -¡Salud!
Cheers! -Cheers!
Caption 92, Casa Pancho - vinos y pinchos
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If you are the person making the toast, you can also go for something like this:
Muy bien, a la salud del novio. -¡Ahí va!
Great, to the groom's health. -There you go!
Caption 21, Yago - 3 La foto
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In some countries, like Mexico and Ecuador, it’s very common to use an endearing diminutive:
¡Salucita!
Cheers!
Caption 27, Otavalo - Leche de chiva - gran alimento
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Another word that is also used to make a toast is provecho, which literally means "profit" or "advantage." This word is used before either drinking or eating (salud can only be used with drinks) and it means that the person speaking wishes that you "profit" from the food or beverage you are having. By the way, you can either say buen provecho or only provecho:
Buen provecho.
Enjoy your meal.
Caption 71, Cocinando con Miguelito - Pollo sudado
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Now, the word for party in Spanish is fiesta, sure. But this is not the only word people use. You should learn some variants, otherwise you'll be missing some great fun:
For example, your friends in many countries of Latin America may invite you to a parranda (party). If you are parrandero (a party animal) you'll probably want to show up:
Es buen amigo, parrandero y bailador
He is a good friend, he likes to party and he's a dancer
Caption 45, Alberto Barros - Mano a mano
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In other places, notably in Mexico City, people use the word reventón (party, literally a "blow-out"). If the party involves getting drunk then the invitation would be something like vámonos de juerga/farra/parranda (somewhat equivalent to "let's go get crazy drunk"). There are, of course, many words to describe the act of drinking: chupar, pistear, libar, mamar, embriagarse, irse de copas (copas means "cups"), empinar el codo (literally "to raise the elbow"), ponerse hasta atrás (to get really drunk, literally "to get oneself behind") are just a few.
No hay plata pa' comer pero sí pa' chupar
There is no money to eat but there is to drink
Caption 60, ChocQuibTown - De donde vengo yo
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And what do you call your friends, buddies, pals, mates at a party? Well, that depends on where you are:
In Mexico City, friends are called cuates:
que te presenta a una persona, a un cuate cercano,
that introduces someone, a close buddy,
Caption 13, Amigos D.F. - Te presento...
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But if you are in the northern part of Mexico, we strongly recommend you avoid the use of cuates. Instead, you can use camarada, compa (short for compadre), or carnal (bro); all of these are more or less common everywhere in the country. Here's a great example of a phrase you can use to start a party anywhere in Mexico:
¡Órale compadre, échese un trago!
Come on, pal, throw down a drink!
Caption 5, El Ausente - Acto 1
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What about other places? Well, it's a long list. In Spain, people use tío (uncle). In Argentina, pibe (kid). In Perú, pata. In Venezuela, pana. In Cuba, asere. In Colombia, parsa. In Honduras, mara... The list goes on and on. One thing is for sure: you can use amigo safely anywhere Spanish is spoken. Maybe that's the friendliest thing to do.
The Spanish subjunctive is one of the most challenging concepts for English speakers to master. Even though English does actually have a subjunctive mood (already challenging by itself), its use is more associated with formal and written speech. By contrast, Spanish uses the subjunctive in everyday situations far more often. And it gets even more challenging if you consider the many ways in which the subjunctive can be combined with other moods in Spanish. So let's try to tackle this prickly subject. But instead of talking about rules and grammar, let's try to take a more practical approach by learning and analyzing model sentences.
A brief intro. It's very likely that you have already read a lot about the subjunctive. You know that it is not a tense but a mood. That it doesn't refer to the time when an action takes place (past, present, future, etc.), but rather that it reflects how the speaker feels about it. Therefore, that it's radically different from the most commonly used indicative mood, which expresses factual information, certainty, and objectivity. Very much like an evil twin, the subjunctive is used to express the opposite: things like doubt, uncertainty, subjectivity, etc. We have explored the basic use of the subjunctive before in previous lessons, and you are welcome to explore them again. Some are:
Using Que [That] + Subjunctive to Express Good Wishes
Como Si Fuese: Learning to Use the Subjunctive
Haya: For Possibilities and Doubts
We also have a couple of videos on the subjunctive:
El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos - Subjuntivo y condicional
Escuela Don Quijote - En el aula - Part 1
In this lesson we will focus on the use of the subjunctive combined with the indicative mood by studying model sentences. Take note: we will always use bold to highlight the subjunctive and underlining for the indicative. Also, we recommend that you use https://conjuguemos.com if you need to check out the Spanish verb conjugation charts.
The Spanish present subjunctive is notoriously used combined with the indicative present in sentences for which English uses only the indicative. There is a memorable sentence you can use as a model to remember this:
Quiero que me quieras
I want you to want me
Caption 1, Gael García Bernal - Quiero Que Me Quieras
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So never say quiero que me quieres, ok? That makes the same sense in Spanish that "I want that you would want me" makes in English. Get it? Another example: don't say no deseo que sufres, instead say no deseo que sufras (I don't want you to suffer).
Present subjunctive can be combined with indicative future:
Desearé que tengas un buen viaje
I'll wish that you have a good journey
Captions 40-41, Kany Garcia - Hoy Ya Me Voy
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Now, you can also combine the past indicative with the past subjunctive. The easiest and most common case is when you combine the pretérito del indicativo (simple past indicative) with pretérito imperfecto subjuntivo (past imperfect subjunctive). Call it the Simple Past Mash-up:
Siempre quise que fueras feliz.
I always wanted you to be happy.
Caption 16, Yago - 3 La foto
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Then you can also combine the pretérito imperfecto del indicativo (imperfect past indicative) with the same pretérito imperfecto subjuntivo (past imperfect subjunctive). As you may know, the imperfect is used to refer to past habitual actions or to set the scene in the past. So if this is of any help to you, you could call this the Habitual Past Mash-up. Here's a model sentence using the same verb querer (to want):
Ella quería que yo leyera.
She wanted me to read.
Caption 17, Carli Muñoz - Niñez
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So, in Spanish you have these two options that translate the same way in English. Feel comfortable using either of them; the difference is quite subtle:
Ella no quizo que yo leyera / Ella no quería que yo leyera.
She didn't want me to read / She (habitually) didn't want me to read.
Note: there are other options to combine the past indicative with the past subjunctive, but we'll skip them since they use compound forms of the verb and are not used that often in common speech. Instead, let's analyze and learn some interesting combinations of present indicative with past subjunctive next.
Spanish speakers use present indicative with past subjunctive and vice versa. This happens with the past perfect tense (either in the subjunctive or in the indicative moods) because of its proximity to the present tense.
When it's present indicative with past subjunctive, it's with the pretérito perfecto subjuntivo, a compound tense in the subjunctive mood that uses the verb haber (to have) plus a participio (the -ado, -ido, -to, -so, -cho ending):
No creo que hayas venido nada más que para decirme algo que yo ya sé.
I don't think that you've come just to tell me something that I already know.
Caption 12, Muñeca Brava - 3 Nueva Casa
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We suggest you to practice this model sentence with other persons and forms of this subjunctive (using different participios as well):
No creo que hayan tomado mucha cerveza / I don't think that they've drunk a lot of beer.
No creo que él haya salido de ahí / I don't think that he has come out of there.
No creo que hayamos impreso eso / I don't think that we've printed that.
No creo que hayas dicho eso / I don't think that you've said that out.
Note also that here no creo (I don't think) is expressing doubt, and that's why the sentence needs the use of subjunctive. If we were to say the opposite, yo creo (I think), we could also combine it with a past tense but in the indicative mood. For the first example: Creo que han tomado mucha cerveza (I think they have drunk a lot of beer).
Finally, the other way around, Spanish speakers can use past indicative with present subjunctive. When this happens it's with the pretérito perfecto indicativo, a compound tense in the indicative mood that uses the verb haber (to have) plus aparticipio (the -ado, -ido, -to, -so, -cho ending):
Él no ha querido que yo diga nada.
He hasn't wanted me to say anything.
And that's it for now. Who said this lesson wouldn't be loaded with grammar? Anyway, we suggest that you learn the model sentences and try to build new ones making substitutions. We will continue next week analyzing sentences that combine subjunctive with other two moods: the conditional and the imperative.
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