Lección 3.3

‘Saber’ versus ‘Conocer’
In Spanish, there are two different verbs that both mean ‘to know’: ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’. Even though they translate the same in English, they are used in very different ways and for different circumstances in Spanish. Because of their different uses, choosing the right verb—‘saber’ or ‘conocer’—helps you sound more fluent in everyday Spanish conversations.
‘Saber’ is used when talking about facts, skills or how to do something. For example:
“Yo sé la fecha del Cinco de Mayo” (I know the date of the Cinco de Mayo celebration)
“¿Sabes cómo cocinar arroz con leche?” (Do you know how to cook rice pudding?)
“Ella sabe que la fiesta es en la plaza” (She knows that the party is in the town square)
‘Conocer’ is used when knowing people and things on a deeper level. For example, people that you know or places and bodies of works of art, books, music and artists that you are familiar with. For example:
“Yo conozco a Juan” (I know Juan)
“¿Conoces a la ciudad de Oaxaca?” (Do you know the city of Oaxaca?)
“Nosotros conocemos las tradiciones de nuestro país.” (We know the traditions of our country)
“Ellas conocen la obra de Octavio Paz” (They know the body of work of Octavio Paz)
It is clear that even if both of the verbs ‘saber’ and ‘conocer’ mean ‘to know’, their uses are very distinct and specific.

Months of the Year and Seasons

Learning the months and the seasons in Spanish is important because they are used in daily conversations to talk about events taking place such as birthdays and anniversaries, vacations, holidays, and school schedules to mention a few examples.

A video that will help learn the months of the year

In Spanish, the months are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
Los meses del año The months of the year
Enero January
Febrero February
Marzo March
Abril April
Mayo May
Junio June
Julio July
Agosto August
Septiembre September
Octubre October
Noviembre November
Diciembre December

¿Cuándo vas a ir de vacaciones? (When are you going to go on vacation?)
Voy a ir de vacaciones el 4 de junio a Cuernavaca.
¿Cuándo es el Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe?
Es el doce de diciembre.
¿Qué día es tu cumpleaños?
Mi cumpleaños es el veintiuno de mayo.

It is important to note that we normally work with at least two calendars in our lives. There is the Gregorian calendar where January is the first month and the astronomical calendar where Spring is the first season.
These are the four seasons in Spanish:

It is important to take into account that these months don’t match perfectly with the seasons. For example, Spring begins on the 20th of March. Summer begins around June 20th. Autumn begins around September 22nd. Winter begins around December 21st. It is also important to keep in mind that even though the majority of Spanish-speaking countries are located above the equator, there are some Spanish-speaking countries like Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay that are completely below the equator and some that are partially below the equator like Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
This is how the months divide into the seasons above and below the equator:

Knowing how to use the months and seasons of the year helps you talk about time, weather, popular celebrations and personal events which are all important for real-life communication in Spanish.

Describing the Weather

Learning weather vocabulary is important because it is a common topic in daily life and can help to start or join conversations. It is important to know the weather when traveling, planning activities, knowing how to dress, understanding local forecasts, describing the environment and asking about weather in different regions.
The best way to learn weather vocabulary is to categorize weather statements into the verbs that have already been presented.
The vocabulary below is used to answer the question ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? (What is the temperature today?)
Hacer Estar Hay
Hace buen tiempo It is nice out Está lloviendo It is raining Hay Niebla There is fog
Hace mal tiempo It is bad weather out Está nevando It is snowing Hay sol There is sun
Hace sol It is sunny Está nublado It is cloudy Hay nubes There are clouds
Hace frío It is cold Está soleado It is sunny Hay Viento There is wind
Hace calor It is hot Está despejado It is clear Hay tormenta There is a storm
Hace Viento It is windy Está humedo It is humid Hay relampagos There is lightning
Hace fresco It is cool/It’s brisk Está tormentoso It’s stormy Hay truenos There is thunder
Hay llovizna There is drizzle

If you are talking about the weather in the future, the ‘Ir + a + infinitive’ can be used with the weather terms under ‘Hacer’ and ‘Estar’. For example:
Va a hacer calor en junio- It is going to be hot in June.
Va a estar nevando mañana-It is going to be snowing tomorrow.