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Lesson 2 of 5Précision: Sharpening the Basics
Unit 1 · Lesson 2 of 5

Savoir or Connaître?

English has one verb, to know; French has two. Savoir is for facts, information and skills (followed by an infinitive or a clause), connaître is for familiarity with people, places and works — and in the past tenses each verb shifts meaning.

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Key things to remember

  1. 1savoir: sais, sais, sait, savons, savez, savent · connaître: connais, connais, connaît, connaissons, connaissez, connaissent.
  2. 2savoir + infinitive = to know how to: Je sais nager. No word for how is added.
  3. 3savoir + que / si / où / quand / pourquoi / comment + clause. Connaître is never followed by a clause.
  4. 4connaître + person, place or work: Je connais ta sœur, je connais Québec, je connais ce film.
  5. 5In the past: je savais = I knew, j'ai su = I found out; je connaissais = I knew (was familiar with), j'ai connu = I met.

In Grade 9 you used je sais and je ne sais pas constantly, and connaître appeared in your list of irregular verbs. Grade 10 asks for more: choosing the right one every time, even when English gives you no clue. English uses know for very different kinds of knowing — I know that she's sick, I know how to skate, I know Ottawa, I know your brother. French splits that meaning in two. Savoir is knowing information and how to do something: things you could state or demonstrate. Connaître is knowing through familiarity: people you have met, places you have been, songs or books you have come across. Choosing wrongly is one of the most noticeable errors an anglophone can make, and the good news is that one question — what comes right after the verb? — settles almost every case.

Subjectsavoir (to know facts, know how)connaître (to know, be familiar with)
jesaisconnais
tusaisconnais
il / elle / onsaitconnaît
noussavonsconnaissons
voussavezconnaissez
ils / ellessaventconnaissent
past participlesuconnu
Both verbs are irregular. Je sais, tu sais and il sait all sound the same, as do je connais, tu connais and il connaît.
Spelling note on connaître
The circumflex sits on the i only when it comes right before a t: connaître, il connaît. The 1990 French spelling reform allows connaitre and il connait without the circumflex, and you will see both in print. This course uses the traditional spelling. Reconnaître (to recognize) and paraître (to seem) are conjugated the same way.

Savoir: facts, information and skills

  • savoir + infinitive = to know how to (a skill). Je sais nager. (I know how to swim / I can swim.) Elle sait jouer de la guitare. (She can play the guitar.) No word for how is needed.
  • savoir + que, si, où, quand, pourquoi, comment, combien + a clause. Je sais que tu es fatigué. (I know that you're tired.) Tu sais où il habite ? (Do you know where he lives?) Je ne sais pas si le magasin est ouvert. (I don't know if the store is open.)
  • savoir + a piece of information, often learned by heart. Il sait son numéro de téléphone par cœur. (He knows his phone number by heart.)
  • savoir on its own. Je sais. (I know.) Je ne sais pas. (I don't know.) Tu sais quoi ? (You know what? / Guess what?)

Connaître: people, places and things you have experienced

  • People. Je connais ta sœur. (I know your sister.) Vous vous connaissez ? (Do you two know each other?)
  • Places. Tu connais Québec ? (Have you been to / do you know Quebec City?) Nous connaissons bien ce quartier. (We know this neighbourhood well.)
  • Works and things you have come across. Tu connais cette chanson ? (Do you know this song?) Je connais ce restaurant. (I know this restaurant.)
  • A subject or field you are familiar with. Il connaît bien l'histoire du Canada. (He knows Canadian history well.)
  • Connaître always takes a noun or pronoun object. It is never followed by que, si, où or an infinitive.
Savoir or connaître? Look at what comes nextWhat follows “to know”?an action, a clause or a fact … or a person, a place?savoirto know a fact, or how to do something+ infinitive (= know how to)Je sais nager.I know how to swim.+ que, si, où, quand, pourquoi …Je sais qu'il vient.I know (that) he is coming.+ a fact or a piece of informationTu sais la réponse?Do you know the answer?✗ never + a person or a placeje saistu saisil saitnous savonsvous savezils saventpast participle: suconnaîtreto know = to be familiar with+ a personJe connais Léa.I know Léa.+ a placeJe connais Montréal.I know Montréal (I have been there).+ a work, a thing you have metTu connais ce film?Do you know this film?✗ never + que or an infinitiveje connaistu connaisil connaîtnous connaissonsvous connaissezils connaissentpast participle: connuIn the passé composé, the meaning shiftsJ'ai connu Christine à Genève.I met Christine in Geneva (first got to know her).J'ai su la vérité hier.I found out the truth yesterday.
Fig 1What comes after the verb decides: an infinitive or a clause needs savoir; a person, place or work needs connaître.
What follows know?VerbExample
an infinitive (a skill)savoirMon frère sait cuisiner. (My brother knows how to cook.)
que, si, où, quand, pourquoi, comment + clausesavoirJe sais où elle travaille. (I know where she works.)
nothing at allsavoirOui, je sais ! (Yes, I know!)
a personconnaîtreTu connais mon cousin ? (Do you know my cousin?)
a placeconnaîtreElles connaissent bien Sudbury. (They know Sudbury well.)
a book, film, song, restaurant, productconnaîtreVous connaissez ce film ? (Do you know this film?)
The grey zone: nouns that name information
With a noun that names a piece of information — la réponse, son adresse, la date, son nom — French speakers use both verbs: Tu sais la réponse ? and Tu connais la réponse ? are both heard and both correct. Don't let that confuse the rules that never bend: an infinitive or a clause always takes savoir, and a person or a place always takes connaître. If you are unsure, turn the noun into a clause and use savoir: Tu sais quelle est la réponse ? (Do you know what the answer is?)

In context: first day at a new school in Sudbury

  • Zoé : Salut ! Tu es nouvelle, non ? Tu connais quelqu'un ici ?
  • Inès : Pas encore. Je connais un peu la ville, mais je ne sais pas où est la cafétéria.
  • Zoé : Viens avec moi. Dis, tu sais jouer au volleyball ? L'équipe cherche des joueuses.
  • Inès : Oui, je sais jouer ! Tu connais la capitaine ?
  • Zoé : Bien sûr, c'est ma cousine Maya. Je sais qu'il y a un entraînement samedi.
  • Inès : Génial ! Mais je ne sais pas si je suis libre samedi. Je connais à peine mon horaire !

Translation: Hi! You're new, aren't you? Do you know anyone here? — Not yet. I know the city a bit, but I don't know where the cafeteria is. — Come with me. Say, do you know how to play volleyball? The team is looking for players. — Yes, I can play! Do you know the captain? — Of course, she's my cousin Maya. I know there's a practice on Saturday. — Great! But I don't know if I'm free on Saturday. I barely know my schedule! Every connais is followed by a person, a place or a thing (quelqu'un, la ville, la capitaine, mon horaire); every sais is followed by an infinitive (jouer), a clause (où…, que…, si…) or nothing.

Asavoir
  • facts and information
  • skills: + infinitive
  • + que, si, où, quand, pourquoi, comment
  • can stand alone: Je sais.
  • j'ai su = I found out
Bconnaître
  • familiarity, acquaintance
  • people: Je connais Paul.
  • places: Je connais Moncton.
  • works and things: Je connais ce livre.
  • j'ai connu = I met

Worked examples

Reveal one step at a time and try to beat it to the next line.

Example 1
Translate: Do you (tu) know where the library is?
Example 2
Translate: My sister knows a lot of people in Ottawa.
Example 3
Translate: We know how to cook, but we don't know this recipe.

Where marks get lost

  • Using connaître for a skill: je connais nager. A skill is savoir + infinitive: je sais nager.
  • Using connaître before a clause: je connais qu'elle est malade. Any que, si, où clause needs savoir: je sais qu'elle est malade.
  • Using savoir for a person or place: je sais ta sœur, tu sais Montréal ? Use connaître: je connais ta sœur, tu connais Montréal ?
  • Translating I know how to swim as je sais comment nager. For a skill, French uses savoir + infinitive directly: je sais nager. Comment is for explaining a method: je sais comment ouvrir cette porte (I know how to open this door).
  • Using j'ai su or j'ai connu for a background state. I knew he was sick is je savais qu'il était malade; j'ai su means I found out.

Flashcards 8

savoir — je / il / nous / ils
connaître — je / il / nous / ils
I know how to ski.
Do you know my parents?
+ 4 more

Practice

1
Complete with savoir or connaître in the present: Je ___ nager depuis l'âge de cinq ans.
2
Complete with savoir or connaître in the present: Est-ce que tu ___ mon frère ?
3
Complete with savoir or connaître in the present: Nous ___ bien la ville de Québec.
4
Complete with savoir or connaître in the present: Mes parents ne ___ pas où je suis.
5
Complete with savoir or connaître in the present: Vous ___ si le musée est ouvert le lundi ?
6
Complete with savoir or connaître in the present: Elles ___ jouer du piano.
7
Which sentence is incorrect?
8
Choose the correct translation of Do you know Ottawa well?
9
What does Quand j'ai su la vérité, j'étais furieux mean?
10
Match each French sentence to its meaning.
Je sais nager.
Je connais Sudbury.
Je reconnais sa voix.
Nous nous connaissons.
J'ai connu Léo au camp.
Je ne sais pas.
11
Put the words in order to say I don't know where she lives.
  1. 1où
  2. 2habite
  3. 3elle
  4. 4Je
  5. 5ne
  6. 6sais
  7. 7pas

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