12.3. Connaître et reconnaître

The Verbs Connaître and Reconnaître

12.3.1. The Main Idea

French has several verbs for knowing, thinking, and recognizing.

connaître	to know / to be familiar with
reconnaître	to recognize
savoir	to know a fact / to know how to
croire	to believe / to think

Use connaître for people, places, and things you are familiar with.

Use savoir for facts or skills.

Use croire for beliefs or opinions.

12.3.2. Connaître

Connaître means to know or to be familiar with.

je connais	I know / I am familiar with
tu connais	you know / you are familiar with
il connaît	he knows / he is familiar with
elle connaît	she knows / she is familiar with
nous connaissons	we know / we are familiar with
vous connaissez	you know / you are familiar with
ils connaissent	they know / they are familiar with
elles connaissent	they know / they are familiar with

12.3.3. Examples with Connaître

Je connais cette ville.	I know this city. / I am familiar with this city.
Tu connais ce quartier ?	Do you know this neighbourhood?
Il connaît bien le centre-ville.	He knows downtown well.
Elle connaît ce restaurant.	She knows this restaurant.
Nous connaissons la route.	We know the route.
Vous connaissez Montréal ?	Do you know Montreal?
Ils connaissent beaucoup de gens ici.	They know a lot of people here.

12.3.4. Reconnaître

Reconnaître means to recognize.

je reconnais	I recognize
tu reconnais	you recognize
il reconnaît	he recognizes
elle reconnaît	she recognizes
nous reconnaissons	we recognize
vous reconnaissez	you recognize
ils reconnaissent	they recognize
elles reconnaissent	they recognize

12.3.5. Examples with Reconnaître

Je reconnais cette rue.	I recognize this street.
Tu reconnais cette personne ?	Do you recognize this person?
Il reconnaît la maison.	He recognizes the house.
Elle reconnaît la voix de son ami.	She recognizes her friend’s voice.
Nous reconnaissons le quartier.	We recognize the neighbourhood.
Vous reconnaissez ce bâtiment ?	Do you recognize this building?
Ils reconnaissent la chanson.	They recognize the song.

12.3.6. Connaître vs. Savoir

Use connaître with people, places, and things.

Je connais Marie.	I know Marie.
Je connais Paris.	I know Paris. / I am familiar with Paris.
Je connais ce restaurant.	I know this restaurant.

Use savoir with facts or skills.

Je sais où est Marie.	I know where Marie is.
Je sais parler français.	I know how to speak French.
Je sais que le restaurant est ouvert.	I know that the restaurant is open.

Tiny compass rule:

connaître + noun	to know a person, place, or thing
savoir + sentence / infinitive	to know a fact / know how to do something

12.3.7. Connaître vs. Croire

Use connaître when you are familiar with someone or something.

Je connais ce quartier.	I know this neighbourhood.
Je connais cette personne.	I know this person.

Use croire when you believe or think something.

Je crois que ce quartier est calme.	I think this neighbourhood is quiet.
Je crois que cette personne habite ici.	I think this person lives here.

12.3.8. Savoir vs. Croire

Use savoir when you know something as information.

Je sais que la gare est près d’ici.	I know that the train station is near here.
Je sais comment aller au musée.	I know how to get to the museum.

Use croire when you are not completely sure, or when giving a belief or opinion.

Je crois que la gare est près d’ici.	I think the train station is near here.
Je crois qu’il faut tourner à droite.	I think we have to turn right.

12.3.9. In the Passé Composé

The past participles are:

connaître	connu
reconnaître	reconnu
savoir	su
croire	cru

Examples:

J’ai connu Marie à l’université.	I met / got to know Marie at university.
J’ai reconnu cette rue.	I recognized this street.
J’ai su la réponse.	I knew / found out the answer.
J’ai cru que c’était loin.	I thought it was far.

12.3.10. In the Future Simple

The future stems are:

connaître	connaîtr-
reconnaître	reconnaîtr-
savoir	saur-
croire	croir-

Examples:

Je connaîtrai mieux la ville.	I will know the city better.
Tu reconnaîtras la rue.	You will recognize the street.
Je saurai quoi faire.	I will know what to do.
Je croirai ton histoire.	I will believe your story.

12.3.11. Useful Questions

Tu connais cette ville ?	Do you know this city?
Tu connais ce quartier ?	Do you know this neighbourhood?
Tu reconnais cette rue ?	Do you recognize this street?
Vous connaissez le chemin ?	Do you know the way?
Vous savez où est la gare ?	Do you know where the train station is?
Tu crois que c’est loin ?	Do you think it is far?

12.3.12. Core Patterns

connaître + noun	to know / be familiar with someone or something
reconnaître + noun	to recognize someone or something
savoir + fact / infinitive	to know a fact / know how to do something
croire que + sentence	to believe / think that ___
Je connais cette ville.	I know this city.
Je sais où est la gare.	I know where the station is.
Je crois que c’est près.	I think it is near.
Je reconnais cette rue.	I recognize this street.

12.3.13. Practice

I know this city.
Do you know this neighbourhood?
I recognize this street.
Do you recognize this building? formal
I know where the train station is.
I know how to speak French.
I think the café is near here.
I will know the city better.
I recognized the house.

12.3.14. Answers

I know this city.	Je connais cette ville.
Do you know this neighbourhood?	Tu connais ce quartier ?
I recognize this street.	Je reconnais cette rue.
Do you recognize this building? formal	Vous reconnaissez ce bâtiment ?
I know where the train station is.	Je sais où est la gare.
I know how to speak French.	Je sais parler français.
I think the café is near here.	Je crois que le café est près d’ici.
I will know the city better.	Je connaîtrai mieux la ville.
I recognized the house.	J’ai reconnu la maison.

12.3.15. Short Dialogue

A : Tu connais ce quartier ?	A: Do you know this neighbourhood?
B : Oui, je le connais bien. Je reconnais cette rue.	B: Yes, I know it well. I recognize this street.
A : Tu sais où est la gare ?	A: Do you know where the train station is?
B : Je crois qu’elle est près d’ici. Il faut tourner à droite.	B: I think it is near here. We have to turn right.

12.3.16. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use connaître for people, places, and things you are familiar with, reconnaître for recognizing someone or something, savoir for facts and skills, and croire for beliefs and opinions.