French has two entirely different verbs that translate to “to know” in English.

These verbs are savoir and connaître.

You can’t use them interchangeably in your conversations.

Choosing the correct verb depends entirely on what exactly you’re trying to say you know.

I’ll explain the clear rules for both verbs below so you never mix them up again.

Using savoir for facts and skills

The verb savoir means to know a fact, a piece of information, or how to do something.

You must use savoir when the thing you know is a learned skill or an action.

It’s also the correct choice when your sentence includes a question word like qui (who), que (what), où (where), or quand (when).

If an infinitive verb follows the word “know”, savoir is always the verb you need.

Savoir conjugation

Here’s how to conjugate the irregular verb savoir in the present tense.

Using connaître for people, places and things

The verb connaître means to be familiar with or acquainted with an entity.

You must use connaître when talking about knowing a person, a city, a country, or a specific object.

This verb is always followed directly by a noun.

You can’t put a verb directly after connaître.

It’s also grammatically incorrect to follow connaître with question words like où or quand.

Connaître conjugation

Here’s how to conjugate the irregular verb connaître in the present tense.

Summary of the rules

Choosing between savoir and connaître becomes very easy once you look at the word that immediately follows the verb.

If the next word is a verb, a fact, or a question word, use savoir.

If the next word is a noun representing a person, place, or thing, use connaître.