Conocer Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The preterite of conocer — to know — is the form you need for finished actions in the past. Conocer means to know a person, a place, or to meet someone for the first time: conozco a María, conozco Madrid. It is different from saber, which is for facts. Its only irregularity is the c → zc spelling change: conozco, conozca. In the preterite it means met: conocí a Juan ayer. This page gives you the complete preterite table for conocer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ayer yo conocí a un chico interesante.” — “Yesterday I met an interesting guy”.

Preterite conjugation of conocer

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for conocer. Conocer is an irregular -er verb (irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Preterite indicative — conocer

Person Form
yo conocí
tú conociste
él/ella/Ud. conoció
nosotros/as conocimos
vosotros/as conocisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. conocieron

The gerund of conocer is conociendo and the past participle is conocido. The participle matters here because the preterite is often confused with the perfect tenses — keep them apart.

How the preterite of conocer is formed

The preterite of conocer does not follow the regular pattern. If conocer were regular, the preterite forms would be yo → conocí, tú → conociste, él/ella/Ud. → conoció, nosotros/as → conocimos, vosotros/as → conocisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → conocieron — but conocer breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are conocí, conociste, conoció, conocimos, conocisteis and conocieron.

In the preterite, conocer is mostly regular: the first person is the expected conocí, and the endings attach to the stem conoc- in the usual way. The irregularity shows elsewhere in the verb — the participle or another tense is irregular — so the forms to memorise are the ones that break away, especially the third persons conoció and conocieron.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the preterite, conocí, conoció carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the preterite of conocer

1. Completed actions at a specific time

Use the preterite for an action that started and finished in the past. For example, with conocer: “Ayer yo conocí a un chico interesante.” — “Yesterday I met an interesting guy”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. A sequence of actions

Use the preterite to list one finished action after another. For example, with conocer: “Ella conoció a su marido en 2010.” — “She met her husband in 2010”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. Actions that interrupt an ongoing situation

Use the preterite for the action that breaks into a longer background scene. For example, with conocer: “Nosotros conocimos la Alhambra el año pasado.” — “We got to know the Alhambra last year”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Sudden changes and achievements

Use the preterite for a change of state or something achieved at one moment. For example, with conocer: “Ellos conocieron a los padres de Ana.” — “They met Ana’s parents”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Preterite vs imperfect: conocer finished, conocer in progress

The preterite and the imperfect are the two past tenses, and choosing between them is the hardest decision in Spanish past-tense grammar. The preterite is for what happened and finished; the imperfect is for what was happening, what used to happen, and the background. Compare the pairs below — the preterite form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.

  • Preterite tense: “Ayer yo conocí a María.” — “Yesterday I knew María.”

  • Imperfect: “De niño, yo conocía a María.” — “As a child, I used to know María.”

  • Preterite tense: “Ella conoció a María a las ocho.” — “She knew María at eight.”

  • Imperfect: “Ella conocía a María cada día.” — “She used to know María every day.”

  • Preterite tense: “Nosotros conocimos a María el sábado.” — “We knew María on Saturday.”

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros conocíamos a María todos los sábados.” — “We used to know María every Saturday.”

Example sentences: conocer in the preterite

Six sentences using only the preterite of conocer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Ayer yo conocí a un chico interesante.” — “Yesterday I met an interesting guy.”
  • “Ella conoció a su marido en 2010.” — “She met her husband in 2010.”
  • “Nosotros conocimos la Alhambra el año pasado.” — “We got to know the Alhambra last year.”
  • “Ellos conocieron a los padres de Ana.” — “They met Ana’s parents.”
  • “¿Tú conociste a alguien en la fiesta?” — “Did you meet anyone at the party?”
  • “El grupo conoció el museo por la mañana.” — “The group got to know the museum in the morning.”

Common mistakes with conocer in the preterite

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo conoco a María.

Right: Yo conocí a María.

Conocer changes c to zc before o: conozco, not conoco.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Yo conozco la respuesta — wrong verb.

Right: Yo conozco a María.

People and places take conocer; facts take saber — conozco la respuesta is wrong.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Leaving out the accent: writing the form without its written accent.

Right: Copy the accented form exactly: conocí.

In the preterite the accents are part of the spelling — conocí without its accent is a spelling mistake.

Quiz: conocer in the preterite

Eight questions on the preterite of conocer. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of conocer in the preterite?

  • A) conocí
  • B) conociste
  • C) conoció
  • D) conocimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the preterite is conocí.

2. What is the tú form of conocer in the preterite?

  • A) conocí
  • B) conoció
  • C) conocimos
  • D) conociste

Answer: D — The tú form in the preterite is conociste.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of conocer in the preterite?

  • A) conociste
  • B) conocimos
  • C) conoció
  • D) conocí

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite is conoció.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of conocer in the preterite?

  • A) conoció
  • B) conocimos
  • C) conocí
  • D) conociste

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the preterite is conocimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Ayer yo ___ a un chico interesante.” (Yesterday I met an interesting guy.)

  • A) conocí
  • B) conociste
  • C) conoció
  • D) conocimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs conocí.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ a su marido en 2010.” (She met her husband in 2010.)

  • A) conocí
  • B) conociste
  • C) conocimos
  • D) conoció

Answer: D — The sentence needs conoció.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo conoco a María.
  • B) Yo conocí a María.

Answer: B — Conocer changes c to zc before o: conozco, not conoco.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo conozco a María.
  • B) Yo conozco la respuesta — wrong verb.

Answer: A — People and places take conocer; facts take saber — conozco la respuesta is wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Is conocer regular in the preterite?

No. conocer is irregular in the preterite: the forms are conocí, conociste, conoció, conocimos, conocisteis and conocieron. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of conocer in the preterite?

It is conocí. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for conocer it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the preterite of conocer instead of the present?

Use the preterite when the action is finished and tied to a specific moment — yesterday, last week, at eight o’clock. If the action was ongoing, habitual, or just background to another event, the imperfect is the right choice, not the preterite.

How can I remember the preterite forms of conocer?

Say the six forms aloud in order — conocí, conociste, conoció, conocimos, conocisteis, conocieron — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for conocer to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo conozco…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo conocí…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo conoceré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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