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 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

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In Spanish, the months are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.

Los meses del año / The months of the year

Español	English
enero	January
febrero	February
marzo	March
abril	April
mayo	May
junio	June
julio	July
agosto	August
septiembre	September
octubre	October
noviembre	November
diciembre	December

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:

Las estaciones / The seasons

Español	English
La primavera	Spring
El verano	Summer
El otoño	Autumn / Fall
El invierno	Winter

Below is how the months divide into the seasons. 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:

La primavera	Marzo Abril Mayo	La primavera	Septiembre Octubre Noviembre
El Verano	Junio Julio Agosto	El Verano	Diciembre Enero Febrero
El otoño	Septiembre Octubre Noviembre	El otoño	Marzo Abril Mayo
El invierno	Diciembre Enero febrero	El invierno	Junio Julio Agosto

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 the 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?)

Weather expressions by category

Category	Español	English
Hacer	Hace buen tiempo	It is nice out
Hacer	Hace mal tiempo	It is bad weather out
Hacer	Hace sol	It is sunny
Hacer	Hace frío	It is cold
Hacer	Hace calor	It is hot
Hacer	Hace viento	It is windy
Hacer	Hace fresco	It is cool / It’s brisk
Estar	Está lloviendo	It is raining
Estar	Está nevando	It is snowing
Estar	Está nublado	It is cloudy
Estar	Está soleado	It is sunny
Estar	Está despejado	It is clear
Estar	Está húmedo	It is humid
Estar	Está tormentoso	It’s stormy
Hay	Hay niebla	There is fog
Hay	Hay sol	There is sun
Hay	Hay nubes	There are clouds
Hay	Hay viento	There is wind
Hay	Hay tormenta	There is a storm
Hay	Hay relámpagos	There is lightning
Hay	Hay truenos	There is thunder
Hay	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.