One of the many nuances to master in French is differentiating between the two verbs for “to know” in French: savoir and connaître. Fortunately, understanding savoir vs. connaître is not as hard as you might think with a little help and easy-to-remember tips. This post will help you learn when to use savoir vs. connaître, their conjugations, and how to seamlessly integrate them into your everyday conversations.
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The difference between savoir and connaître to express ‘to know’
Both savoir and connaître mean “to know” in French. The main difference between the two verbs is knowing how to do something (savoir) and being familiar with something (connaître). You’ll need an infinitive verb when using savoir.
Savoir
- Tu sais qu’ils sont en vacances. = You know that they are on vacation.
- Vous savez quelle heure il est ? = (Do) you know what time it is?
Connaître
- Je sais nager. = I know how to swim.
- Elles savent bien chanter. = They know how to sing well.
- Il connaît un bon restaurant. = He knows (is familiar with) a good restaurant.
- Nous connaissons leur sœur. = We know (are familiar with) their sister.
The general rule of thumb: use savoir when you know how to do something or pertinent facts and information. Use connaître when expressing that you’re familiar with certain things, especially people and places.
Savoir conjugation in French
Since it’s one of the most common French verbs, conjugating savoir will be essential for successfully speaking French. To express the facts and activities you know how to do right now, use the present tense conjugation of savoir:
| je sais | I know | nous savons | We know |
| tu sais | You know (singular, informal) | vous savez | You know (plural and/or formal) |
| il/elle sait | He/She knows | ils/elles savent | They know |
To say you know how to do something, simply add the infinitive of the next verb directly after your savoir conjugation. Be aware that you don’t need to add the French word comment (how) to demonstrate the “how” of the knowledge.
- Tu sais parler français. = You know how to speak French.
- Nous savons cuisiner. = We know how to cook.
To say you know a fact, use the conjunction que (that) followed by the fact.
- Il sait que j’habite près du travail. = He knows that I live near work.
- Elles savent que le zoo n’est pas loin. = They know that the zoo is not far.
You can also use savoir in the passé composé (past tense) to say you found something out or learned something for the first time.
| j’ai su | I found out/learned | nous avons su | We found out/learned |
| tu as su | You found out/learned (singular, informal) | vous avez su | You found out/learned (plural and/or formal) |
| il/elle a su | He/She found out/learned | ils/elles avez su | They found out/learned |
- J’ai su qu’il est arrivé en retard. = I found out he arrived late.
- Vous avez su faire du ski cet hiver. = You learned (for the first time) how to ski this winter.
These are the two most commonly used tenses with savoir, but there are many more savoir conjugations and tenses.
When to use savoir in real conversations
Now that you know how to conjugate savoir, you’ll want to practice some common expressions. Whether you are looking to travel to a French-speaking country or simply level up your French language skills, knowing common sayings that use savoir conjugations is extremely useful—especially if you simply need to know how to say “I don’t know” in French!
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| C’est difficile à savoir. | say DEE-fee-seel ah sah-VWAHR | It’s hard to know. |
| Je crois savoir que… | zhuh CWAH sah-VWAHR kuh | I believe I heard that… |
| Je le savais. | zhuh luh SAH-vay | I knew it. |
| Je ne sais pas. | zhuh nuh say pas | I don’t know. |
| je ne sais quoi | zhuh nuh say kwah | I don’t know what (used to describe an indefinable quality) |
| Je ne savais quoi dire. | zhuh nuh SAH-vay kwah DEER | I didn’t know what to say. |
| Je ne savais quoi faire. | zhuh nuh SAH-vay kwah FAIR | I didn’t know what to do. |
| Je sais. | zhuh say | I know. |
| J’en sais rien. | zhuhn say ree-ehn | I don’t know anything (about it). |
| J’en sais trop. | zhuhn say troh. | I know too much (about it). |
| On ne sait jamais. | ohn nuh SAY zhah-MAY | You never know. |
| Tu sais. | too say | You know. (can be used as a question or to start a sentence) |
| sans le savoir | sahn luh sah-VWAHR | without knowing |
| savoir-faire | sah-VWAHR fair | know-how |
Adding these expressions to your French conversations will certainly make you sound more natural when communicating with a local or your native French professor! If the pronunciation of these expressions feels overwhelming, use our French pronunciation guide or try Rosetta Stone tutoring for more individualized practice.
Connaître conjugation in French
French verb conjugation is no easy feat. Connaître conjugation has its similarities to savoir, but you’ll need to learn the conjugations separately. Let’s start with the present tense of connaître.
| je connais | I know/am familiar with | nous connaissons | We know/are familiar with |
| tu connais | You know/are familiar with (singular, informal) | vous connaissez | You know/are familiar with (plural and/or formal) |
| il/elle connaît | He/She knows/is familiar with | ils/elles connaissent | They know/are familiar with |
Note that the third person singular (he/she) conjugation includes the French accent mark circonflexe, which follows the infinitive of the verb.
Here are some examples of when to use connaître vs. savoir in the present tense:
- Je connais cette personne depuis vingt ans. = I know (I’ve known) this person for twenty years.
- Nous connaissons un café pour le rendez-vous. = We know (are familiar with) a café for the meeting.
Just like savoir, connaître changes meaning when conjugated in the passé composé. In this instance, it means you have met someone or made their acquaintance for the first time. This is what you’ll use when you stay abroad and meet your host’s extended family or close friends.
| j’ai connu | I met/made the acquaintance of | nous avons connu | We met/made the acquaintance of |
| tu as connu | You met/made the acquaintance of (singular, informal) | vous avez connu | You met/made the acquaintance of (plural and/or formal) |
| il/elle a connu | He/She met/made the acquaintance of | ils/elles avez connu | They met/made the acquaintance of |
- Tu as connu ma mère en janvier dernier. = You met my mother last January.
- Ils ont connu des Canadiens au festival. = They made the acquaintance of some Canadians at the festival.
Expand your knowledge on connaître conjugations and tenses, which can help you sound more like a native speaker in your conversations.
When to use connaître in real conversations
When mastering savoir vs. connaître, knowing expressions with both verbs is essential. Add these expressions that use connaître to your conversations in French.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| faire connaître | fair koh-NET-ruh | to introduce (someone else) |
| Je connais mes limites. | zhuh koh-NAY may lee-MEET | I know my limits. |
| Je le connais comme ma poche. | zhuh luh koh-NAY kum mah pohsh. | I know it like the back of my hand (literally like my pocket). |
| Je (le/la) connais de nom. | zhuh (luh/lah) koh-NAY duh nohm | I know (him/her) by name [only]. |
| Je (le) connais par coeur. | zhuh (luh) koh-NAY par keur | I know (it) by heart. |
| Je m’y connais (en)… | zhuh mee koh-NAY (uhn) | I am very knowledgeable (about)… |
| On se connaît. | ohn suh koh-NAY | We know each other. |
| se faire connaître | suh fair koh-NET-ruh | to introduce oneself |
If you’re really serious about learning common French expressions to sound more natural when speaking, keep up with French TV and movies to stay current on what people say in their daily conversations.
Frequently asked questions about savoir vs. connaître
For native English speakers, understanding savoir vs. connaître can be tricky. Read these frequently asked questions to gain confidence in using both.
How do you say ‘to know’ in French?
To say you know how to do something or to state facts you know to be true, use savoir. To say you are familiar with something, use connaître.
How do I use ignorer to say ‘I don’t know’ in French?
The verb ignorer in French means that you are unaware of something. It is most common to say je ne sais pas to say “I don’t know” in French, but you can use j’ignore to express ignorance or a lack of awareness.
What’s the difference between tu connais and tu sais?
Tu sais is a very common expression used in casual conversations, much like “you know” in English. It can also be used to ask someone if they know how to do something, or are aware of a fact.
Tu connais is followed by a question, asking someone if they are familiar with something. Be aware of the rules of tu vs. vous in French before using tu connais or tu sais.
What if I write connaitre instead of connaître?
Accent marks are non-negotiable in French, so although people will know what you mean, you are essentially spelling the word wrong with the wrong letter. So, be sure to always include the accent over the “a” when writing connaître.
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