Introduction

desconocer means “to not know, to be unaware of”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to not know, to be unaware of” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows desconocer in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo desconozco la respuesta por la mañana.” — “I not know the answer.”

desconocer in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how desconocer is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo desconozco la respuesta cada día.” — “I not know the answer.”
  2. “Tú desconoces la respuesta cada día.” — “you not know the answer.”
  3. “Él desconoce la respuesta siempre.” — “He nots know the answer.”
  4. “Nosotros desconocemos la respuesta todos los días.” — “We not know the answer.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo desconocí la respuesta ayer.” — “I noted know the answer.” (preterite) 6. “Él desconoció la respuesta ayer.” — “He noted know the answer.” (preterite) 7. “Yo desconocía la respuesta cuando era joven.” — “I used to not know the answer.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros desconoceremos la respuesta mañana.” — “We will not know the answer.” (future) 9. “Tú has desconocido la respuesta hoy.” — “you have noted know the answer.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo desconozca la respuesta.” — “I hope that I not know the answer.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros desconocéis la respuesta cada semana.” — “You not know the answer.” 12. “Ellos desconocen la respuesta normalmente.” — “They not know the answer.”

desconocer in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how desconocer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú desconoces la respuesta?” — Do you not know the answer?

Diego: “Sí, yo desconozco la respuesta cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I not know the answer every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También desconoces la respuesta?” — And yesterday? Did you not know the answer too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo desconocí la respuesta. Mañana nosotros desconoceremos la respuesta otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I noted know the answer. Tomorrow we will not know the answer again.

A short paragraph

Él desconoce la respuesta cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how desconocer works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo desconozco la respuesta — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make desconocer yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write desconoco for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is desconozco. Because desconocer changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo desconozco la respuesta — until the changed stem feels natural.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is desconocí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — desconoci — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of desconocer.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he desconocido la respuesta. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy desconocido is not the present perfect of desconocer — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing desconocer with descubrir

desconocer and descubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of desconocer — not know — the sentence needs desconocer; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo desconozca la respuesta. Using the indicative — Espero que yo desconozco — is one of the most frequent learner errors with desconocer. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of desconocer in the present?

  • A. desconoces
  • B. desconoce
  • C. desconocemos
  • D. desconozco

2. What is the tu form of desconocer in the preterite?

  • A. desconocimos
  • B. desconociste
  • C. desconocí
  • D. desconoció

3. What is the el form of desconocer in the imperfect?

  • A. desconocías
  • B. desconocíamos
  • C. desconocíais
  • D. desconocía

4. What is the nosotros form of desconocer in the future?

  • A. desconocerá
  • B. desconoceremos
  • C. desconoceré
  • D. desconocerás

5. What is the vosotros form of desconocer in the present perfect?

  • A. he desconocido
  • B. has desconocido
  • C. ha desconocido
  • D. habéis desconocido

6. What is the ellos form of desconocer in the present subjunctive?

  • A. desconozca
  • B. desconozcan
  • C. desconozca
  • D. desconozcas

7. What is the yo form of desconocer in the preterite?

  • A. desconociste
  • B. desconoció
  • C. desconocimos
  • D. desconocí

8. What is the tu form of desconocer in the imperfect?

  • A. desconocíamos
  • B. desconocías
  • C. desconocía
  • D. desconocía

9. What is the el form of desconocer in the future?

  • A. desconoceré
  • B. desconocerás
  • C. desconoceremos
  • D. desconocerá

10. What is the nosotros form of desconocer in the conditional?

  • A. desconocería
  • B. desconoceríamos
  • C. desconocería
  • D. desconocerías

Answer key

  1. desconozco — The present table gives yo = desconozco.
  2. desconociste — The preterite table gives tu = desconociste.
  3. desconocía — The imperfect table gives el = desconocía.
  4. desconoceremos — The future table gives nosotros = desconoceremos.
  5. habéis desconocido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis desconocido.
  6. desconozcan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = desconozcan.
  7. desconocí — The preterite table gives yo = desconocí.
  8. desconocías — The imperfect table gives tu = desconocías.
  9. desconocerá — The future table gives el = desconocerá.
  10. desconoceríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = desconoceríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use desconocer in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo desconozco la respuesta.” — “I not know the answer.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of desconocer to learn first?

Learn the present yo form desconozco first, then the preterite yo form desconocí and the participle desconocido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund desconociendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is desconocer reflexive?

No — desconocer is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo desconozco la respuesta. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of desconocer?

On the main conjugation page for desconocer, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links