Conhecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

conhecer — to know — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to know a person or a place, and to be acquainted with something, and it is different from saber, which means to know a fact. It is completely regular apart from its spelling: the stem-final c becomes ç before a and o, so the eu form is conheço and the subjunctive is conheça. On this page you will find conhecer in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the conhecer conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the conhecer present tense page.

Example sentences with conhecer

In the present tense

  • “Eu conheço a Maria todos os dias.” — “I know Maria”
  • “Tu conheces a Maria todos os dias.” — “You know Maria”
  • “Ele conhece a Maria todos os dias.” — “He knows Maria”
  • “Nós conhecemos a Maria todos os dias.” — “We know Maria”
  • “Vós conheceis a Maria todos os dias.” — “You know Maria”
  • “Eles conhecem a Maria todos os dias.” — “They know Maria”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu conheci a Maria ontem.” — “I knew Maria”
  • “Tu conheceste a Maria ontem.” — “You knew Maria”
  • “Ele conheceu a Maria ontem.” — “He knew Maria”
  • “Nós conhecemos a Maria ontem.” — “We knew Maria”
  • “Vós conhecestes a Maria ontem.” — “You knew Maria”
  • “Eles conheceram a Maria ontem.” — “They knew Maria”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu conhecia a Maria antigamente.” — “I used to know Maria”
  • “Tu conhecerás a Maria amanhã.” — “You will know Maria”
  • “Ele conheceria a Maria um dia.” — “He would know Maria”
  • “É importante que nós conheçamos a Maria.” — “It is important that we know Maria”
  • “Conhece a Maria!” — “Know Maria!”

How conhecer is used

The first thing to know about conhecer is its core meaning: to know. It means to know a person or a place, and to be acquainted with something, and it is different from saber, which means to know a fact. It is completely regular apart from its spelling: the stem-final c becomes ç before a and o, so the eu form is conheço and the subjunctive is conheça. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company conhecer keeps. The present eu form is conheço, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho conhecido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what conhecer does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need conheço, never conhecer. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho conhecido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle conhecido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Conhecer in context

Eu conheço a Maria todos os dias. Tu conheces a Maria todos os dias. Ele conhece a Maria todos os dias. Nós conhecemos a Maria todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of conhecer is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — conheço, conheces, conhece, conhecemos — while the meaning stays the same: to know. Eu conheci a Maria ontem. Tu conheceste a Maria ontem. Ele conheceu a Maria ontem. Nós conhecemos a Maria ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of conhecer appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to know — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu conhecer a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu conheço a Maria todos os dias.”

The infinitive conhecer never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form conheço.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu conheces a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu conheço a Maria todos os dias.”

conheces is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is conheço — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu conheço a Maria ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu conheci a Maria ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito conheci here, not the present conheço.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou conhecido a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho conhecido a Maria esta semana.”

conhecer takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho conhecido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on conhecer across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of conhecer in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) conheço
    • B) conheces
    • C) conhece
    • D) conhecemos

  2. What is the eu form of conhecer in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens conhecido
    • B) tem conhecido
    • C) tenho conhecido
    • D) temos conhecido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of conhecer in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) conhecias
    • B) conhecíamos
    • C) conhecíeis
    • D) conhecia

  4. What is the nós form of conhecer in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) conheceremos
    • B) conhecerei
    • C) conhecerás
    • D) conhecerá

  5. What is the tu form of conhecer in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) conheceria
    • B) conhecerias
    • C) conheceríamos
    • D) conheceríeis

  6. What is the eu form of conhecer in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) conheceras
    • B) conhecéramos
    • C) conhecera
    • D) conhecéreis

  7. What is the nós form of conhecer in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) conheça
    • B) conheças
    • C) conheçais
    • D) conheçamos

  8. What is the gerund of conhecer?

    • A) conhecendo
    • B) conhecido
    • C) conhecer
    • D) conheço

  9. What is the past participle of conhecer?

    • A) conhecendo
    • B) conhecido
    • C) conhecer
    • D) conheço

  10. What does conhecer mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to know
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) conheces — the correct form is conheces. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho conhecido — the correct form is tenho conhecido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) conhecia — the correct form is conhecia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) conheceremos — the correct form is conheceremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) conhecerias — the correct form is conhecerias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) conhecera — the correct form is conhecera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) conheçamos — the correct form is conheçamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) conhecendo — the correct form is conhecendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) conhecido — the correct form is conhecido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to know — the correct form is to know. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does conhecer mean in English?

conhecer means “to know”. You use it whenever you talk about to know in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is conhecer regular or irregular?

conhecer is regular. conhecer is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of conhecer?

The gerund is conhecendo and the past participle is conhecido. The perfect tenses use ter + conhecido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of conhecer?

On the conhecer conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The conhecer present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for conhecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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