Français — savoir vs connaître
French has two verbs for "to know". Use savoir for facts, information and know-how (Je sais nager, Je sais que tu as raison), and connaître for being acquainted with people, places and things (Je connais Paris, Je connais Marie).
How it works
Choose by object, not by translation. Savoir takes facts, an infinitive (a skill), or a que/interrogative clause: Je sais la réponse, Il sait conduire, Nous savons où elle habite. Connaître takes a direct noun object — a person, place or field you are familiar with — and can never be followed by que or an infinitive: Tu connais ce restaurant ?, Elle connaît bien la grammaire.
Examples
| Subject | savoir (facts, know-how) | connaître (people, places) |
|---|---|---|
| je | sais | connais |
| tu | sais | connais |
| il / elle / on | sait | connaît |
| nous | savons | connaissons |
| vous | savez | connaissez |
| ils / elles | savent | connaissent |
Good to know
The overlap is facts vs. people: never say connaître la réponse or savoir Marie. With a bare noun that names an item of information you often need savoir (Je sais ton adresse), but with a person or place always connaître (Je connais ton quartier). In the passé composé the meanings shift: j'ai su = "I found out", j'ai connu = "I met / became acquainted with".