Saber vs Conocer: The verbs CONOCER and SABER in Spanish frequently confuse English speakers since they both mean. To know, however, these verbs are NOT interchangeable since they have different meaning and are used depending on the context.
Conocer: Means EXPERIENCE
When to use CONOCER
Conocer is used with knowing people or having an acquaintance with them. It means you are familiar with someone. Conozco a Juan, means I know Juan ( because I have met him in person) Note that the preposition “a” is used when conocer is followed by a person.
Conocí a mi esposa en una fiesta.
Conocer is also for saying you have been to, visited or have knowledge about a place.
Conozco Italia: means that I know about Italy since I have visited or have knowledge about a place.
Conocer can also mean to meet ( for the first time) Un gusto conocerlo
Conocer can be used in the negative to show that you don’t know someone or haven’t been somewhere
SABER means Skills/ abilities
When to use SABER
Saber is also used when you know facts about certain information.
You will often see the verb SABER followed by que, quien, donde, cuando, cual, por que.
SABER is used with abilities and skills that are learnt like Conducir, pintar, etc. To say you know how to do something, you use SABER+ INFINITIVE
SABER can also be used in the negative to show that you don’t know something or are ignorant about something. Saber vs Conocer