Introduction

Conoscere means “to know”, and this page covers exactly one thing: conoscere in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for conoscere, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about conoscere in the present. It means to know a person or a place, and to be acquainted with something, and it is different from sapere, which means to know a fact. Only its passato remoto is irregular; the rest of the conjugation is regular. For example: “Lui conosce Maria ogni giorno.” — “He knows Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of conoscere exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Conoscere in the Present — full table

Person Form
io conosco
tu conosci
lui/lei conosce
noi conosciamo
voi conoscete
loro conoscono
Gerund: conoscendo · Past participle: conoscuto
The gerund is conoscendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Conoscendo Maria, imparo molto.” — “While knowing Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is conoscuto, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho conoscuto is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how conoscere is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for conoscere, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of conoscere is formed

The present tense of conoscere has six forms: io conosco, tu conosci, lui conosce, noi conosciamo, voi conoscete, loro conoscono. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. conoscere is irregular in passato-remoto: the present forms do not all follow the standard -ere endings, so learn the six forms as a set instead of deriving them from the infinitive. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of conoscere are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning conosciamo and conoscete pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so conosco can mean both “I know” and “I am knowing” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because conoscere is irregular in the present, there is no shortcut: the six forms above are the forms, and they have to be learnt as they are. The good news is that the most frequent verbs are the irregular ones, so every minute spent on them pays off in real conversation.

When to use the present of conoscere

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use conoscere in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and conoscere is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about conoscere does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui conosce Maria ogni giorno.” — “He knows Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with conoscere in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi conosciamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “We know Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu conosci Maria ogni giorno.” — “You know Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and conoscere in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro conoscono Maria ogni giorno.” — “They know Maria.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui conosce Maria ogni giorno.” — “He knows Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha conoscuto Maria questa settimana.” — “He has known Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho conoscuto Maria questa settimana.” — “I have known Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu conosci Maria ogni giorno.” — “You know Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai conoscuto Maria questa settimana.” — “You have known Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: conoscere in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria”
  2. “Tu conosci Maria ogni giorno.” — “You know Maria”
  3. “Lui conosce Maria ogni giorno.” — “He knows Maria”
  4. “Noi conosciamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “We know Maria”
  5. “Voi conoscete Maria ogni giorno.” — “You know Maria”
  6. “Loro conoscono Maria ogni giorno.” — “They know Maria”
  7. “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria”
  8. “Lui conosce Maria ogni giorno.” — “He knows Maria”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io conosci Maria.” Right: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is conosco, not conosci. conosci is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi conosco Maria.” Right: “Noi conosciamo Maria ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form conosciamo. conosco belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho conoscuto Maria questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho conoscuto for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io conoscere Maria.” Right: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive conoscere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form conosco.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosci
    • B) conosco
    • C) conosce
    • D) conosciamo

  2. What is the tu form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosco
    • B) conosce
    • C) conosci
    • D) conosciamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosco
    • B) conosci
    • C) conosciamo
    • D) conosce

  4. What is the noi form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosciamo
    • B) conosco
    • C) conosci
    • D) conosce

  5. What is the voi form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosco
    • B) conoscete
    • C) conosci
    • D) conosce

  6. What is the loro form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosco
    • B) conosci
    • C) conoscono
    • D) conosce

  7. What is the io form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosci
    • B) conosce
    • C) conosciamo
    • D) conosco

  8. What is the tu form of conoscere in the Present indicative?

    • A) conosci
    • B) conosco
    • C) conosce
    • D) conosciamo

Answer key

  1. B) conosco — the correct form is conosco. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) conosci — the correct form is conosci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) conosce — the correct form is conosce. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) conosciamo — the correct form is conosciamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) conoscete — the correct form is conoscete. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) conoscono — the correct form is conoscono. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) conosco — the correct form is conosco. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) conosci — the correct form is conosci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does conoscere mean in English?

conoscere means “to know”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb.

How is the present tense of conoscere formed?

The six present forms are: io conosco, tu conosci, lui conosce, noi conosciamo, voi conoscete, loro conoscono. conoscere is irregular: the forms have to be learnt as a set, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of conoscere?

The gerund is conoscendo and the past participle is conoscuto.

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