conoció
/konoθjo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'met' is translated as conoció when referring to being introduced to someone for the first time.
The verb is used to describe the single point in time when an introduction occurred. When you use conoció to refer to a person, you must always include the preposition a before that person. To specify the location where the meeting happened, use the preposition en followed by the place. While conoció focuses on the moment of meeting, other phrases can express different nuances: Entablé una conversación con is used in formal contexts to emphasize the interaction that followed the meeting, while the colloquial Me encontré con or the relaxed Me topé con can be used to express meeting someone.
Which one should you use?
In the preterite tense, conoció specifically refers to the completed action of being first introduced to someone. This is distinct from the imperfect form conocía, which means 'knew' and describes a continuous state of being acquainted with someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form conoció is the third-person singular preterite of the verb conocer. As noted, when referring to people, the personal 'a' must precede the person being met.
How do you pronounce it?
/konoθjo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use encontró to mean 'met' in the sense of a formal introduction. encontró typically means 'found' or 'ran into' by chance.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, you can use conocer to say you have 'met' a feeling, such as grief or joy, for the first time.
- The verb conocer can also mean 'to know' a place or a city, not just people. If you say conocí Madrid, it implies you visited and became familiar with the city.
- Unlike English, where 'meeting' can be a scheduled event, conocer specifically denotes the transition from being strangers to being acquainted.
Examples in context
- Tom conoció a Mary.Tom met Mary.This sentence shows how to express that Tom met Mary using conoció.Tatoeba #5752564 by arh, translation #2237381 by CK
- Ella lo conoció en Boston.She first met him in Boston.This sentence demonstrates specifying a location with conoció.Tatoeba #1425714 by marcelostockle, translation #887111 by CK
- Dice que conoció a mi padre.He says he met my father.This sentence uses conoció to report someone's claim about meeting a father.Tatoeba #1131610 by Shishir, translation #1419573 by CK
- Conocí a mi jefe en la conferenciaI met my boss at the conference
- Me encontré con el alcalde en el eventoI met the mayor at the event
- Conocí a mi nueva compañera de trabajoI met my new coworker
- Me encontré con mis amigos en el parqueI met my friends at the park
- Me topé con mi exnovio en el supermercadoI ran into my ex-boyfriend at the supermarket
- conocí a JuanI met Juan
- Me encontré con María en el caféI met María at the café
- 54 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are talking about a mutual friend.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿cómo conoció a Juan?Daniel, how did you meet Juan?
- DanielLo conoció en una fiesta el año pasado.I met him at a party last year.
- Lucía¡Qué coincidencia! Yo también lo conocí allí.What a coincidence! I also met him there.
- DanielParece que todos lo conocieron ese día.It seems everyone met him that day.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
