Two questions about the same rehearsal
“¿Sabes dónde ensayan?” asks whether you have information about the rehearsal location. “¿Conoces a la persona que dirige el ensayo?” asks whether you know the person leading it. Both questions can belong to one conversation in Havana, yet they ask for different kinds of knowledge.
The scenes and exercises in this guide are original written practice using general Spanish in Cuban settings. Focus on the difference between knowing information, knowing how to do something and being familiar with a person or place.
Saber: the information you can supply
Use saber when the useful answer is a fact or a piece of information: “Sé la dirección” or “Sé que el ensayo empieza a las seis”. A question can become part of the sentence: “No sé dónde ensayan” and “¿Sabes cómo se llama el grupo?”. You are identifying information that somebody has or lacks.
In our imagined Havana exchange, one person answers: “Sé que ensayan hoy, pero no sé a qué hora”. They know the day, not the time. Ask for the missing detail rather than treating the whole answer as a refusal. The question-word-order guide helps you build the follow-up clearly.
Saber plus an infinitive: a skill
“Sé bailar son” describes an ability. “¿Sabes tocar las claves?” asks about being able to play the instrument. Put the infinitive directly after saber in these models: sé bailar, sabes tocar. Recognising a tune and being able to perform it are separate things.
Compare “Conozco esa canción, pero no sé tocarla”. The speaker is familiar with the song but cannot play it. When speaking about yourself, change canción to a piece you know and choose an action that describes your ability.
Conocer: a person or a place you are familiar with
For a person, practise “Conozco a Inés” and “¿Conoces a su hermano?”. Keep a before the identified person in these sentences. With a place, use “Conozco Camagüey” or “No conozco ese barrio”. Here you are talking about familiarity, rather than giving one fact about a location.
“Sé dónde está Camagüey, pero no conozco la ciudad” makes the difference visible: locating a city does not mean knowing it through experience. These examples are learning anchors, not a rule that conocer can only precede people or places. You can also say “Conozco la historia de ese edificio” when discussing your familiarity with its history.
Keep the first-person forms ready
When answering for yourself in the present, use sé and conozco: “Sé la respuesta”; “Conozco a la profesora”. With tú, ask sabes and conoces: “¿Sabes la respuesta?”; “¿Conoces a la profesora?”. Rehearse the question and its answer together so the change of speaker remains clear.
Correct “Yo no sabes” to “Yo no sé”, and “Yo no conoces a Inés” to “Yo no conozco a Inés”. The correction concerns who is speaking as well as the verb you choose. If the distinction is still unclear, begin with the full noun or information instead of a long answer.
No sé and no conozco leave different gaps
“No sé” can answer “¿A qué hora empieza?”. “No conozco a Inés” answers a question about your acquaintance with Inés. A bare “No conozco” may leave the listener wondering whom or what you mean. Supply the reference when it has not been established.
You can know one thing and need help with another: “No conozco el barrio. ¿Sabes cómo llegar?”. The walking-directions guide develops that next task. If you want someone to show you a place rather than tell you a fact, the polite-requests guide helps you ask for that action.
Read the information through to a next step
Original practice dialogue: “¿Conoces a Inés?” — “Sí, la conozco. Ensayamos juntos”. — “¿Sabes dónde es el ensayo de hoy?” — “Sé la dirección, pero no conozco la casa”. — “Te enseño dónde es”. The second speaker can identify the person and supply the address while still lacking familiarity with the house.
Change one detail: the speaker does not know Inés but does know the address. Write a reply that preserves both facts: “No conozco a Inés, pero sé la dirección”. You need not erase all your knowledge because one part of the conversation is unfamiliar.
Choose a verb, then explain your choice
Complete these original examples: 1. “No ___ a tu primo”. 2. “¿___ preparar café?” 3. “___ que Ana llega hoy”. 4. “No ___ La Habana, pero ___ dónde está”. Write the whole answer before checking. In sentence two, the question is addressed to tú; the other statements are about yo.
Answers: 1. conozco, because it concerns knowing a person. 2. Sabes, because preparar names an ability. 3. Sé, because the following clause supplies information. 4. conozco and sé: familiarity with the city and knowledge of its location are distinguished. For another small word that needs a clear reference, continue with este, ese and aquel.