Savoir and connaître in French What’s the difference?
French has two very common verbs that often translate as to know in English: savoir and connaître. This is why English speakers often hesitate. Should you say je sais Paris or je connais Paris? Je connais parler français or je sais parler français? To understand savoir and connaître, the most important question is simple: what comes after the verb?
Use savoir before a verbal group: an infinitive, a question word, que, or si. It often means to know how or to know information.
Use connaître before a noun group: a person, a place, a thing, a subject, or an experience. It often means to know or to be familiar with.
Quick contrast: savoir and connaître
Savoir and connaître: the real difference is grammatical
In English, the verb to know is very flexible. You can know a person, know a city, know a fact, know how to do something, or know that something is true.
French separates these ideas more clearly. The choice between savoir and connaître depends mainly on the grammatical structure that follows the verb.
| French verb | What usually follows | Basic meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| savoir | A verbal group, a question, or a clause | To know how, to know information | Je sais conduire. I know how to drive. |
| connaître | A noun group | To know, to be familiar with | Je connais cette ville. I know this city. |
With savoir and connaître, do not translate word by word from English. Look at the next element: if it is built around a verb, use savoir. If it is built around a noun, use connaître.
Savoir and connaître with verbal groups and noun groups
To choose correctly between savoir and connaître, you need to recognize two basic structures: the verbal group and the noun group.
| Structure | What it means | French pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal group | A group built around a verb: an action, a skill, a question, or a full idea. | savoir + infinitive / question word / que / si |
| Noun group | A group built around a noun: a person, place, thing, subject, or experience. | connaître + noun group |
Use savoir with a verbal group
Use savoir when the next idea is built around a verb or information. This is why savoir and connaître do not behave the same way after English “know how”.
Use savoir + infinitive to say that someone knows how to do something: savoir parler, savoir conduire, savoir nager, savoir expliquer.
Savoir and connaître: savoir + question word
Use savoir before a question word such as où, quand, pourquoi, comment, or qui.
Savoir and connaître: savoir + que or si
Use savoir before que or si when you are talking about information, a fact, or uncertainty.
Use connaître with a noun group
Use connaître when the next element is a noun group. This is one of the easiest ways to understand savoir and connaître: connaître is the verb you need for people, places, things, subjects, and experiences.
A noun group can be a name, a place, a subject, or a phrase with an article such as le, la, les, un, une, ce, cette, or mon.
Savoir and connaître: connaître + person
Savoir and connaître: connaître + place
Savoir and connaître: connaître + thing, subject, or experience
Savoir and connaître examples: compare similar sentences
Sometimes the difference between savoir and connaître becomes clear when you compare two sentences that look similar in English.
| With savoir | With connaître | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Je sais parler français. | Je connais le français. | I know how to speak French vs I know French as a language or subject. |
| Je sais où est le musée. | Je connais le musée. | I know where the museum is vs I know the museum. |
| Je sais faire cette recette. | Je connais cette recette. | I know how to make this recipe vs I know this recipe. |
| Elle sait que Paul est médecin. | Elle connaît Paul. | She knows a fact about Paul vs she knows Paul personally. |
| Tu sais utiliser ce logiciel ? | Tu connais ce logiciel ? | Can you use this software? vs Are you familiar with this software? |
Savoir and connaître: common mistakes
Do not use connaître before an infinitive
English speakers often want to say je connais parler français, but this is not correct. Before an infinitive, use savoir.
Do not say Je connais parler français. Say Je sais parler français.
| Incorrect | Correct | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Je connais parler français. | Je sais parler français. | I know how to speak French. |
| Elle connaît conduire. | Elle sait conduire. | She knows how to drive. |
| Nous connaissons faire ça. | Nous savons faire ça. | We know how to do that. |
Do not use savoir for people or places
If you know a person, a city, a restaurant, a song, or a subject, use connaître.
| Incorrect | Correct | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Je sais Paris. | Je connais Paris. | I know Paris. |
| Tu sais Marie ? | Tu connais Marie ? | Do you know Marie? |
| Il sait ce restaurant. | Il connaît ce restaurant. | He knows this restaurant. |
Savoir and connaître: a useful shortcut
When you hesitate between savoir and connaître, look immediately after the verb.
The shortcut
Mini practice: savoir and connaître
Complete each sentence with the correct form of savoir or connaître.
- Je ________ cette actrice.
- Tu ________ parler espagnol ?
- Elle ________ que le train est en retard.
- Nous ________ très bien ce quartier.
- Ils ________ comment réparer la machine.
- Vous ________ cette expression ?
- Je ne ________ pas où il habite.
- Il ________ beaucoup de choses sur l’histoire de France.
See the answers
- Je connais cette actrice. A person is a noun group.
- Tu sais parler espagnol ? An infinitive follows.
- Elle sait que le train est en retard. A clause with que follows.
- Nous connaissons très bien ce quartier. A place follows.
- Ils savent comment réparer la machine. A question word follows.
- Vous connaissez cette expression ? A thing follows.
- Je ne sais pas où il habite. A question word follows.
- Il sait beaucoup de choses sur l’histoire de France. This means he knows information.
Final recap: savoir and connaître
The difference between savoir and connaître is easier when you stop translating both as to know. Instead, look at the structure.
Use savoir with a verbal group: an infinitive, a question word, que, or si. Use connaître with a noun group: a person, a place, a thing, a subject, or something you are familiar with.
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