saber + infinitive / conèixer; Se'n sap res?
Two "knows" split the work: saber — to know a fact or to know how: saber + infinitive — Sé nedar des dels cinc anys — I have been able to swim since I was five; saber que… — to know that… Conèixer — to be acquainted: Conec el teu germà de vista — I know your brother by sight; cities, people and streets are known through "conèixer". For example: “Sé nedar des dels cinc anys” — I have been able to swim since I was…
How it works
Two "knows" split the work: saber — to know a fact or to know how: saber + infinitive — Sé nedar des dels cinc anys — I have been able to swim since I was five; saber que… — to know that… Conèixer — to be acquainted: Conec el teu germà de vista — I know your brother by sight; cities, people and streets are known through "conèixer".
Not-knowing here is polite: Se'n sap res, de…? — "does anybody know about…?" — a question that accuses nobody; the answer — No se'n sap res — it is unknown. And "no sé" is said straight and without excuses: the honest coin of conversation.
Table
| verb | what it means | example |
|---|---|---|
| saber + inf | to know how | sé nedar |
| saber + que | to know a fact | sé que tanca dilluns |
| conèixer + noun | to be acquainted | conec el teu germà |
| Se'n sap res? | does anybody know? | Se'n sap res, de l'horari? |
By example
- Sé nedar des dels cinc anysI have been able to swim since I was five
- Conec el teu germà de vista, però mai no hem parlatI know your brother by sight, but we have never spoken
- Se'n sap res, del nou horari del mercat?Does anybody know about the market's new schedule?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
saber + infinitive / conèixer; Se'n sap res?: how does it work in Valencian?
Two "knows" split the work: saber — to know a fact or to know how: saber + infinitive — Sé nedar des dels cinc anys — I have been able to swim since I was five; saber que… — to know that… Conèixer — to be acquainted: Conec el teu germà de vista — I know your brother by sight; cities, people and…
What does it look like in an example sentence Valencian?
“Sé nedar des dels cinc anys” — I have been able to swim since I was five. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.