savoir or connaitre ?

[Pads]

what is the difference between these two, is it

Savoir = to know some thing and Connaitre = to know a person ? although this dosnt fit in with all that im doing ,

so is there another difference?

 

Thankyou [:)]

[Rose]

Hi Pads... just doing my homework and needed to look that up too... I found this... not sure if it helps?  [:D]

http://french.about.com/library/weekly/aa011500.htm

[Pads]

Thanks rose that does help .............[blink] until i ty to use it .........

In this sentance then I would use connaitre  yes/no ?

car c'est un pays qu'ils ne connait pas  du tout

because its a country they dont know at all. 

Does that look right ?

[TWINKLE]

car c'est un pays qu'ils ne connaissent pas du tout

[Alan Zoff]

In simple terms, I tend to go by Savoir meaning to know something or how to do something and Connaitre to be familiar with someone or something.

So I agree with the verb you have used, if not the matching of a plural pronoun with a singular verb ending.

Where's Frenchie?

[Pads]

woops mised the they there didnt I? [:$] so it deffo the C word not the S word then? Ta very much girls [:)]

[Pads]

heres another

sais -tu quand ils vont y aller ?

You know when they will go there?

I think sais , or does any one think connais ? 

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Pads"]

heres another

sais -tu quand ils vont y aller ?

You know when there will go there?

I think sais , or does any one think connais ? 

[/quote]Alan's tip is right.  So yes, you are correct.  But I would never say sais-tu because it sounds horrible (although it's a personal thing, really).  Est-ce que tu sais... is rather better, or in conversation tu sais and raise the tone slightly at the end so that it's obviously a question, imo.

[Pads]

Im translating whats there already and filling in the savoir or connaitre gaps , but I see what you mean .

thankyou[:)]

[Pads]

just checking another , to see if im getting this !![:$]

est-ce qu'ils connaissent des gens en angleterre ?

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Pads"]

just checking another , to see if im getting this !![:$]

est-ce qu'ils connaissent des gens en angleterre ?

[/quote]Yup, imo!

[Patf]

I asked the same question once:

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/702895/ShowPost.aspx Hope it helps.

[allanb]

To remember the difference, it may help to know (savoir) that "savoir" also means "to be able to" do something, in the sense of knowing how:

Il ne sait pas nager = he can't swim (because he never learned)

- as opposed to -

Il ne peut pas nager = he can't swim (because there's ice on the pool)

[Pads]

Thanks everyone for your help on this one [:)]

[crépuscule]

I thought the link to france.about.com was good until I tried the test! I re-read the explanations then re-did the test & did much better the second time (too modest to give the score!) The situations that confuse me are when it's either "being familiar with something" which is connaitre or "knowing a fact" which is savoir. I have convinced myself that you can use both in the same sentence, e.g.

"Je connais les paroles de La Marseillaise mais je ne les sais pas." i.e. "I am familiar with the words of La Marseillasie but I don't know them (by heart)."

Is this acceptable?

[Pads]

Im no expert, in fact im rubbish ............[:(] But shouldnt the first one be sais too ?  I dunno ...................[:$] 

[DZ]

Hi Pads

The latest issue of the French Accent magazine covers the topic of savoir/connaitre in detail - I would wholeheartedly recommend it.  The electronic magazine is not free any more (it used to be), but it is very much worth the small subscription fee in my humble opinion.

Best wishes

[Bones]

[quote user="crépuscule"]I thought the link to france.about.com was good until I tried the test! I re-read the explanations then re-did the test & did much better the second time (too modest to give the score!) The situations that confuse me are when it's either "being familiar with something" which is connaitre or "knowing a fact" which is savoir. I have convinced myself that you can use both in the same sentence, e.g.

"Je connais les paroles de La Marseillaise mais je ne les sais pas." i.e. "I am familiar with the words of La Marseillasie but I don't know them (by heart)."

Is this acceptable?

[/quote]

It wouldn't work in English, as you pointed out you'd have to add "by heart", you'd probably do the same in French if you used your example (employing the literal translation of  "by heart").

The only sort of exception I can think of is when you hear French people say "Oui, je le sais mais... blah blah blah"; not "je sais" but "je le sais".

I think it's like saying "I know all to well", or "I"m aware of the fact".  [:)]