Spanish 2
Unit 6 Grammar
Learn . . .
• the difference between “saber” and “conocer”
• how to conjugate -ar verbs in the preterite tense
(including -car, -gar, and –zar)
By Melinda McCorkle
“Saber” and “Conocer”
Saber - to know (a fact or how to do something)
Yo sé
Nosotros sabemos
Tú sabes
Vosotros sabéis
Él/Ella sabe
Ellos/Ellas saben
Conocer - to know (a person, place, or general
subject)
Yo conozco
Nosotros conocemos
Tú conoces
Vosotros conocéis
Él/Ella conoce
Ellos/Ellas conocen
Both “saber” and “conocer” have irregular yo forms in the present tense.
Use Saber . . .
• to talk about factual information you know.
Example: Sé cuánto cuesta el bate.
I know how much the bat costs.
• +infinitive to say that you know how to do something.
Example: Nicolás sabe patinar muy bien.
Nicolas knows how to skate very well.
Use Conocer . . .
• when you want to say that you are familiar
with a person/place.
Example: Conozco a tu hermano David.
I know your brother David.
How to Conjugate –ar verbs in the
preterite tense
Use the preterite tense to talk about actions completed
in the past.
Yo - é
Tú - aste
Él/Ella - ó
Nosotros - amos
Vosotros - asteis
Ellos/Ellas - aron
*The yo and usted/él/ella forms have an accent over the final vowel.
*The nosotros form is the same in the preterite as in the present tense.
Preterite Tense
Examples:
You lifted weights yesterday.
Tú levantaste pesas ayer.
I swam in the sea.
Nadé en el mar.
We walked on the beach.
Caminamos en la playa.
Maria skated.
Maria patinó.
They watched the game.
Ellos miraron el partido.
Preterite of -car, -gar, and -zar verbs
Regular verbs that end in -car, -gar, or -zar have a spelling
change in the yo form of the preterite.
VERB
TRANSITION
RESULT
buscar
c
becomes
qu
(yo) busqué
jugar
g
becomes
gu
(yo) jugué
almorzar
z
becomes
c
(yo) almorcé
-car verbs
-car
qué
Examples:
Yo practiqué deportes.
Yo saqué la basura.
I practiced sports.
I took out the trash.
Yo busqué el libro.
Yo toqué la guitarra.
I looked for the book.
I played the guitar.
-gar verbs
-gar
gué
Examples:
Yo jugué al beisbol.
I played baseball.
Yo llegué al fiesta.
I arrived at the party.
Yo pagué para la camisa.
I paid for the shirt.
-zar verbs
-zar
Example:
Yo almorcé en la cafetería.
I ate lunch in the cafeteria.
cé
MINI QUIZ!
Saber and Conocer:
sé
1) Yo _______
cantar. I know how to sing.
sabes dónde Maria vive?
2) ¿Tú ________
Do you know where Maria lives?
conoce a cada uno en la clase.
3) El profesor _________
conozco la escuela.
4) Yo __________
The teacher knows
everyone in the school.
I know the school.
Conozco a tu hermano David.
5) ___________
I know your brother David.
MINI QUIZ (continued)
Preterite tense Conjugation:
1) Él _______ en el mar.
a. nadó
b. nadaste
c. nadar
d. cantar
2) Ellos __________ a la música.
a. escucha
b. escuché
c. miraron
d. escucharon
3) Tú _________ en la playa.
a. caminar b. caminaste
c. caminé
d. caminaron
4) Nosotros __________ un película.
a. mirar
b. miró
c. hacer
d. miramos
MINI QUIZ (continued)
Preterite Tense (-car, -gar, and -zar):
Connect the irregular verb ending with their yo form conjugation.
-car
-gar
-zar
gué
cé
qué
Fill in the blank.
practiqué
1) Yo ________________
deportes. (practicar)
almorcé
2) Yo ________________
en la cafetería. (almorzar)
jugué
3) Yo ________________
la guitarra. ( jugar)
MINI QUIZ (continued)
REVIEW:
Describe each picture using the preterite tense of the verb.
Ellos . . .
miraron
__________________
Él . . .
buceó
____________________
Yo . . .
nadé
__________________
Tú . . . caminaste
______________
Nosotros . . . tomamos el sol
_____________________
THINGS TO REMEMBER . . .
• Use “saber” to talk about knowing facts or how to do something.
• Use “conocer” to talk about knowing a person or place.
• Both “saber” and “concocer” have irregular yo forms.
• Use preterite tense to talk about things that happened in the past.
• The nosotros form is the same for preterite and present tense.
• In preterite tense, the -car, -gar, and -zar verbs are only different in the
yo form.
• Both the yo and the él/ella forms in preterite tense have accent marks.