# to know



## Nizo

Esperanto has two words for the English “to know”:  *koni* and *scii*.  The first means something like “to be acquainted with” and the second has to do more with knowledge of facts.  Their use is similar to the French _connaître/savoir_, Spanish _conocer/saber_, and German _kennen/wissen_.  I'm wondering how many other languages have these two different forms, or something similar.  What about in your language?  Thanks.


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## Whodunit

In German, *können*, having the _kennen_ as a causative (to make _können_), can also be used for "to know" in the latter sense:

I don't *know* German. = Ich *kann* kein Deutsch.


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## Marga H

In Polish: koni - *znać*, scii - *wiedzieć*.


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## Lopes

In Dutch it's kennen (conocer) and weten (saber)


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## su123

In *Catalan*:

Conèixer
Saber


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## Alijsh

We have also two different words in Persian:
*koni* - shenâkhtan
*scii *- dânestan


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## deine

Lithuanian:

conocer - pažinti
saber - žinoti


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## Lugubert

This resembles a paper I once read on dictionary searches, titled “Synonyms and synonyms of synonyms”.

My 68 page Esperanto-Swedish “dictionary” from 1897 gives sci = veta, no koni.

Connaître= känna [till] (know (of), be acquainted with); förstå (comprehend), kunna (master [a language etc.], be able to)
Savoir = veta, känna till; få veta (get to know); kunna; förstå.

(I just realized that I own no dictionary from Spanish into Swedish, so I won’t try via English or German for conocer/saber.)

Kennen = känna, vara bekant med, känna till
Wissen = veta, förstå, kunna

One route not involving Swedish has to be mentioned: German kennen, wissen = Bible Hebrew yāda` ידע, the infamous KJV _‘know’_. I’m convinced that the word when used in the Sodom story means no more than the normal ‘get to know, get acquainted with’. - For können, there’s yākhol יכל ‘be able to, know how to’.


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## Flaminius

*deine*'s contribution makes me wonder if Latvian _zināt_ and _pazīt_ are to make the same distinction as between French _connaître_ and _savoir_.

Japanese does not distinguish between knowing people and obtaining information — _shiru_ applies for both senses.  Noteworthy is that _shiru_ has the sense of Biblical "know" (it took me a while to realise not every language has this connotation).  Its use in this sense is as rare as that of ידע in Modern Israeli Hebrew; well-understood but limited to a few set phrases.


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## language_gig

Savoir (French) = to know something
Connaître (French) = to know someone

Arabic =   "Arafa" عرف: to know someone (in most cases)
Arabic= علم     "Alima"   : To  know something (in most cases)


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## DrWatson

Finnish:

Finnish does have this distinction, and I'm quite sure it's similar to German, for example.
If you're acquainted with someone, you use the verb *tuntea*, which also means "to feel".
*Minä tunnen hänet* = I know him/her

When you have knowledge of certain facts, you use the verb *tietää*.
*Minä tiedän vastauksen* = I know the answer
However, *tietää* can also be used in the former meaning in such instances, where you know the person, but he/she doesn't know you, e.g. when talking about celebrities.
*Tiedätkö näyttelijän uudesta TV-sarjasta?* = Do you know the actor in the new TV series?


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## Chazzwozzer

Turkish:

*koni:* bilmek, tanımak
-Beni tanıyor musun?
-Beni biliyor musun?
_(Do you know me?)

_*scii:* bilmek
-Yemek yapmayı biliyor musun?
_(Do you know how to cook?)_


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## Whodunit

DrWatson said:


> Finnish:
> 
> Finnish does have this distinction, and I'm quite sure it's similar to German, for example.
> If you're acquainted with someone, you use the verb *tuntea*, which also means "to feel".
> *Minä tunnen hänet* = I know him/her
> 
> When you have knowledge of certain facts, you use the verb *tietää*.
> *Minä tiedän vastauksen* = I know the answer
> However, *tietää* can also be used in the former meaning in such instances, where you know the person, but he/she doesn't know you, e.g. when talking about celebrities.
> *Tiedätkö näyttelijän uudesta TV-sarjasta?* = Do you know the actor in the new TV series?



Why is it similar to German?  We'd always use _kennen_ in your examples.


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## karuna

Flaminius said:


> *deine*'s contribution makes me wonder if Latvian _zināt_ and _pazīt_ are to make the same distinction as between French _connaître_ and _savoir_.



I don't know French but indeed it is close to Spanish _saber_/_conocer_. But no so much about distinction of persons vs. things but rather the difference between recognizing, be familiar with vs. be knowledgeable about facts. 

Both _zināt _and _pazīt _are perfective verbs, so to express the process of obtaining information imperfective derivatives are used: _uzzināt _and _iepazīt._



> Japanese does not distinguish between knowing people and obtaining information — _shiru_ applies for both senses.  Noteworthy is that _shiru_ has the sense of Biblical "know" (it took me a while to realise not every language has this connotation).  Its use in this sense is as rare as that of ידע in Modern Israeli Hebrew; well-understood but limited to a few set phrases.


Biblical "know" is translated as _atzīt _in Latvian but it is not used in this sense apart from the Christian context. Probably it was the Bible translator's invention.


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## DrWatson

Whodunit said:


> Why is it similar to German?  We'd always use _kennen_ in your examples.


In all of them? Well, I did say I was quite sure  i.e. not entirely. I was just trying to establish my point about the nature of the distinction, and since I know neither Spanish nor French I used German in my example. Which turned out to be a little wide of the mark . Apparently German uses _kennen_ in a broader spectrum than I had imagined.

Anyhow, my point was that there is a distinction. Not similar to German, perhaps, but still.


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## Whodunit

DrWatson said:


> In all of them?



In case you're interested, here are my translations:



DrWatson said:


> Finnish:
> 
> *Minä tunnen hänet* = Ich kenne ihn/sie.
> 
> *Minä tiedän vastauksen* = Ich kenne die Antwort. (it's also possible to say _Ich weiß die Antwort_, though  I geuss it depends on the meaning. You might mean the latter, but as I don't know Finnish and English uses _know_ for both _kennen_ and _wissen_, it's hard to explain the differece. )
> However, *tietää* can also be used in the former meaning in such instances, where you know the person, but he/she doesn't know you, e.g. when talking about celebrities. same in German
> *Tiedätkö näyttelijän uudesta TV-sarjasta?* = Kennst du den Schauspieler aus der neuen Fernsehserie?


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## Laztana

Hi, in basque:

ezagutu = conocer
jakin = saber


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## Outsider

karuna said:


> I don't know French but indeed it is close to Spanish _saber_/_conocer_. But no so much about distinction of persons vs. things but rather the difference between recognizing, be familiar with vs. be knowledgeable about facts.


That is a more accurate description of the distinction between the two words in Spanish, too.

Portuguese is just like Spanish:

*koni*: conhecer
*scii*: saber


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## irene.acler

InItalian:

koni:* conoscere*
scii: *sapere*


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## DrWatson

Whodunit said:


> it's also possible to say _Ich weiß die Antwort_, though  I geuss it depends on the meaning. You might mean the latter, but as I don't know Finnish and English uses _know_ for both _kennen_ and _wissen_, it's hard to explain the differece.


Well, if it helps, I can give you direct Finnish to German translations. Helps to clear out the ambiguity by not using English as a medium. Personally I would have translated *Minä tiedän vastauksen* with _wissen_. To say *Minä tunnen vastauksen* sounds weird, like in English if you asked: "Are you familiar with the answer?"

The most common translations are below, but the context has to be taken into account, of course. 

*tuntea* = _kennen, fühlen_ (sometimes also _spüren_)
*tietää* = _wissen_ (sometimes _kennen_)

I'll give one more example of the differences, although it is hard to try to do it with a few examples. But this time I think I came up with good ones:
*
tietää:
Tiedätkö saksan kielen? =* Do you know German? (Do you know that there exists such language?)
*tuntea:*
*Tunnetko saksan kieltä?* = Do you know German? (Are you familiar with the language?) The latter could also be *Osaatko saksaa?*, which clearly asks if one has knowledge of German (in German: _Kannst du Deutsch?_). The way using *tuntea* is kind of a mild way of asking, like asking if you know anything about it.


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## Whodunit

DrWatson said:


> *tietää:
> Tiedätkö saksan kielen? =* Do you know German? (Do you know that there exists such language?)
> *tuntea:*
> *Tunnetko saksan kieltä?* = Do you know German? (Are you familiar with the language?) The latter could also be *Osaatko saksaa?*, which clearly asks if one has knowledge of German (in German: _Kannst du Deutsch?_). The way using *tuntea* is kind of a mild way of asking, like asking if you know anything about it.



Interestingly, we differentiate between these two _know_'s, too:

Do you know there exists a language like German?
Kennst du Deutsch?

Can you speak German?
Kannst du Deutsch?

You can't use _wissen_ with languages, except in a more verbose construction, such as:

Do you know something about German?
Weißt du etwas über Deutsch?


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## Wynn Mathieson

*Irish* has three nouns which are used in constructions corresponding to use of the verb "know" in English.

In characteristic Celtic fashion these are used in periphrases of the type "I have knowledge of" for "I know", the "I have X" in turn being paraphrased as "X is at me" (Irish being without a verb "to have".

--------

_*Aithne*_ is recognition of the identity and character of a person or place, etc. (acquaintanceship)

Tá aithne ag gach duine ar a chéile
There-is acquaintanceship at each person on his fellow
They all know each other

--------

_*Eolas*_ is knowledge acquired through personal study, practice, etc. (learning)

Níl eolas agam ar aon tír atá gan bunreacht
There-is-not knowledge at-me on any country that-is without a-constitution
I do not know of (I have not discovered) any country that does not have a constitution

 --------

_*Fios*_ is knowledge derived from what you have been told (rule-based knowledge, traditional wisdom).

Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil daoine ann a deir:
There-is its knowledge at-me that there-are people in-it who say:
I know that there are people who say:

Níl a fhios ag aon duine 
There-is-not its knowledge at any person
Nobody knows

--------

Wynn


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## noncasper

In Vietnamese:
Saber : Quen
Conocer : Biết


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## OldAvatar

Romanian:

to know = *a şti*


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## macta123

In Hindi : Janana, pata hona/maloom hona
For ex. Tum Rakesh ko jantey ho ? = Do you know Rajesh ?
For ex. Kya tumhe uska pata pata/maloom hai

Recognize is Pehchanana


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## Anatoli

In *Russian *"to know" is similar to the English usage: *"знать"* (znat') means both kennen/wissen (German), connaître/savoir (French), etc. So is the *Japanese* *知る* [shiru] or it's other form *知っている* [shitte iru].

In *Chinese* we have* 知道* [zhīdao] and *认识* (s.) / *認識* (tr.)[rènshi], which basically correspond to kennen/wissen or connaître/savoir pairs.


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## barbiegood

In Hungarian:

to be acquainted with: "ismerni"

For example: Do you know Peter? (Are you acquinted with him?)
"Ismered Pétert?"

to know: "tudni" (it may also mean to be able to do something)

For example: I know how to bake bread.
"Tudom, hogy kell kenyeret sütni."


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## karuna

barbiegood said:


> For example: I know how to bake bread.



In this context when referring to personal faculties or abilities the verbs _prast _or _mācēt _is used in Latvian instead of _zināt/pazīt. _

Do you know Spanish? – _Vai tu proti spāņu valodu?
_I know how to bake bread. – _Es māku cept maizi?_


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## Outsider

karuna said:


> ***Do you know Spanish?
> I know how to bake bread.


Although English only has one verb for "to know", you should still say "Can you speak Spanish?"


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## karuna

Thanks for correction.


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## J.F. de TROYES

Anatoli said:


> In *Chinese* we have* 知道* [zhīdao] and *认识* (s.) / *認識* (tr.)[rènshi], which basically correspond to kennen/wissen or connaître/savoir pairs.


 
I think you can also use  the auxiliary 会 when the verb means "to can" ,"to be skilled  in":  他会说中文 ta1 hui4 shuo1 zhong1 wen2 ( he can speak Chinese)

In French

When Language Gi writes that "savoir" is related to something and "connaître" to someone, he is right on the whole in the sense that actually "savoir" is never used with an animated object.
 On the other hand "connaître" may have to do with something : "He knows the road very well" is said "Il connaît très bien la route" and "Il sait très bien la route" would sound weird. If you turn "He knows German / his lesson" into French, both verbs are possible : "Il sait/ il connaît l'Allemand/ sa leçon", but if you add the auxiliary "can" or "be able to", you have to choose "savoir": "Il sait parler Allemand" ( He can speak German ).

Kannst du Deutsch ? = Sais-tu / connais-tu l'Allemand?
Kennst du Deutsch ? = Connais tu l'Allemand ? ( Without a context the sentence is ambiguous )  

I think the practical way to use them properly rather depends on what follows the verb than  its accurate meaning  ( "savoir" is rather "to have learnt" ) :

1- connaître + noun (or personal pronoun: le, la, les )
2- savoir + infinitive or any clause (il sait qui/ce que/ où/ quand/ pourquoi etc...) or the neuter personal pronoun "le".


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## theo1006

Indonesian
koni: mengenal
scii: mengetahui


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## HistofEng

In Haitian-Creole:

two forms depending on the phonetics of the phrase and/or the preference of the speaker

to know=_* konn*_ and _*konnen*_

knowledge =_* save*_ or_* konesans*_


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## brian

Latin had tons upon tons of words for "to know." I'll limit myself to three:

_scio _[infinitive _scire_] (cf. Esperanto _scii_)
_(cog)nosco _[infinitive _(cog)noscere_](cf. Esperanto _koni_)
_sapio_ [infinitive _sapere_] (cf. Italian _sapere_, Spanish _saber_)

What's interesting is that French, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Portuguese, etc. seem to have clear equivalents mainly to the Latin _cognoscere_ and _sapere_, but does there exist in any of those languages a word derived from _scire_? In Esperanto, however, you mentioned one word related to _cognoscere_ and another related to _scire_, so I wonder, does there exist yet another word in Esperanto related to _sapere_?


brian


EDIT: Just thought of the obvious words _science_, _scienza_, _ciencia_, etc., all of which come from _sciens_ ("knowing"), the present active participle of _scire_, but those aren't verbs...


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## OldAvatar

brian8733 said:


> What's interesting is that French, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Portuguese, etc. seem to have clear equivalents mainly to the Latin _cognoscere_ and _sapere_, but does there exist in any of those languages a word derived from _scire_?



As I said, in Romanian, *a şti, ştire* (to know) is from Latin _scire_.


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## kusurija

Czech:
koni: znát
scii: vědět


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## Zsanna

Hi everybody,
I don't know about you but I was suspicious from the very beginning that it is not the sort of question one cannot answer simply. (In any case, such a thing rarely happens with languages...) 
But it is interesting to see that all come down to the same thing: you cannot reduce a language just to equivalents in the dictionary. The actual use can modify a lot. I give you two examples with the Hungarian:
tud (savoir), ismer (connaître) - used in two sentences that could have the same meaning:
- Tudod, mit akarok tenni? (Do you know what I want to do?/Sais-tu ce que je veux faire?)
- Ismered a szándékomat? (Do you know my intentions?/Connais-tu mes intentions?)

I just wonder whether the one who started the thread were interested in knowing the reason for that... (Can't blame him if not, but what did he want to know really? )


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## Trisia

OldAvatar said:


> Romanian:
> 
> to know = *a şti*



I would like to add something:

koni = a cunoaşte (to know, to become aquainted; also has the Biblical connotation )
scii = a şti (to know, as posted by Old Avatar)

Obviously we also have the distinction, but in everyday speech they're used interchangeably


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## domangelo

The way I understand them, conoscere, conocer, kennen are all similar in their distinction from sapere, saber, wissen. However, I believe that in French the distinction between connaître and savoir is purely grammatical, the difference between knowing + a noun (connaître) and knowing + a verb (savoir). Is this correct?
Therefore:
Je sais repondre.
Je connais la reponse.


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## Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!

Czech actually has a three-way distinction:
1. "vědět" - "to know" as in "to have knowledge" (of a fact).
2. "znát" - "to know" a person, book, movie, etc.
3. "umět" - "to know" how to do something, "to be able to" (not physically but to have the knowledge/features).

In Slovak, however, "vedieť" has the combined meaning of both #1 and #3, even though there are words derived from cs:"umět" (but assimilated into Slovak) such as "umenie" (art). The Slovak equivalent of cs:"znát" is "poznať".


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## alex.raf

*Persian:*
Dānestan دانستن (for knowledge of facts)
Shenākhtan شناختن (knowing a person, thing, ...)


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## apmoy70

Greek is similar:

Koni: *«Ξέρω»* [ˈk͜se.ɾɔ] --> _to know of, be familiar with_ < Byz. Gr. *«(ἐ)ξεύρω» (e)k͜seú̯rō* (idem) < Classical aorist II *«ἐξεῦρον» ĕk͜seû̯rŏn* of v. *«ἐξευρίσκω» ĕk͜seu̯rískō* --> _to find out, discover, seek out, search after, invent_ < *«ἐκ» ĕk* + *«εὑρίσκω» heu̯rískō* --> _to find, find out, discover, uncover_ (possibly IE, related to Arm. գերել (gerem), _to capture, take prisoner_, Proto-Slavic *obrěsti > Rus. обрести, _to gain, acquire_).

Scii: *«Γνωρίζω»* [ɣnɔˈɾi.zɔ] --> _to know, learn, discover_ < Classical deverbative 3rd declension fem. noun *«γνῶσις» gnôsis* (nom. sing.), *«γνώσεως» gnṓsĕōs* (gen. sing.) --> _inquiry, fame, knowledge_ < Classical v. *«γιγνώσκω» gĭgnṓskō* --> _to come to know, perceive_ (PIE *ǵneh₃- _to recognise, get to know_ cf Lat. (g)nōscere, Alb. njoh [ɲox], _to know, acquaint_).



brian said:


> Latin had tons upon tons of words for "to know


As did ancient Greek:

*«Γιγνώσκω»* (see above)
*«Γνωρίζω» gnōrízō*
*«Εἴδω» ei̯dō* --> _to know, see_ (PIE *ueid- _to see_ cf Skt. वेद (veda), _perception, knowledge_, Lat. vidēre, Proto-Slavic *vidъ > Rus. вид, _appearance_, Cz./Svk vid, _mode, aspect_)
*«Οἶδα» oî̯dă* --> _to know_ (old Perfect used as Present, identical with Arm. գիտեք (gitekʼ), which arose from the Perfect, Go. wait, _to know_, Skt. वेद (véda), from *uoid-/*ueid-).


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## Sardokan1.0

In *Sardinian *:

_*Ischire *_(northern Sardinian, Logudorese and Nuorese)
*Sciri *(southern Sardinian, Campidanese)

From *Latin "scire"*

While the Logudorese and Nuorese preserve the Latin classical pronunciation ("Scire -> Skire > Iskire"), the Campidanese version instead uses the ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation.

Indicative present conjugation :


Spoiler



*Latin - Logudorese - Campidanese*

*scĭo *- *isco *- *scìu*
*scis *- *ìschis *- *scìis*
*scit *- *ìschit *- *scìit*
*scīmus *- *ischímus *- *scìéus*
*scītis *- *ischídes *- *scìéis*
*scĭunt *- *ìschin *- *scìint*


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## merquiades

brian said:


> Latin had tons upon tons of words for "to know." I'll limit myself to three:
> 
> _scio _[infinitive _scire_] (cf. Esperanto _scii_)
> _(cog)nosco _[infinitive _(cog)noscere_](cf. Esperanto _koni_)
> _sapio_ [infinitive _sapere_] (cf. Italian _sapere_, Spanish _saber_)


What were the differences between these 3 verbs in classical Latin?


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## Sardokan1.0

merquiades said:


> What were the differences between these 3 verbs in classical Latin?



I can tell you how these verbs work in Italian and Sardinian.

First of all, the verb "scio" is not present in Italian, but there is in Sardinian, while the verb "sapere" is present in Italian and doesn't exist in Sardinian.

About the meaning instead :

_*Scio *_= to know something, like a news or a gossip or other, or to be able to do something, or to know a language or a subject.
*Cognosco *= to know a person, or also to know a language, or to master a subject.
_*Sapio *_= it's used in the same way of Scio

Examples :


Spoiler



*Sardinian (verb "ischire")*
_Happo ischìdu unu trobeddu de a tie = I've know a gossip about you
Happo ischìdu qui ti ses cojuadu = I've known that you got married
No isco si resesso a bènnere cras = I don't know if I can make it tomorrow
Ischire faghere una cosa = To be able to do something
Isco nadare = I'm able to swim
Isco faeddare s'Inglesu = I'm able to speak English
Isco sa matematica = I know mathematics_

_*Sardinian (verb "connoschere")*_
_Happo connottu a frade tou = I've known your brother
Connosco s'Inglesu = I know English language
Connosco sa matematica = I know mathematics

*Italian (verb "sapere")*_
_Ho saputo un pettegolezzo su di te = I've know a gossip about you_
_Ho saputo che ti sei sposato = I've known that you got married
Non so se riesco a venire domani = I don't know if I can make it tomorrow
Saper fare una cosa = To be able to do something
So nuotare = I'm able to swim
So parlare l'Inglese = I'm able to speak English
So la matematica = I know mathematics_

*Italian (verb "conoscere")*
_Ho conosciuto tuo fratello = I've known your brother
Conosco l'Inglese = I know English language
Conosco la matematica = I know mathematics_


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## bibax

In Latin *sapere* (+ acc.) means *to smell/taste/smack* of sth (cf. *sapor* = saveur/sapore/sabor = a taste/flavour [of a meal]).

mella herbam sapiunt = honey (plur.) smells/tastes of herbs (sing.);
unguenta crocum sapiunt = ointments smell of saffron;

figuratively *to have (common) sense/reason/intellect*, to be wise/sensible (however it depends on the object in acc.):

nihil sapere = lit. to smell/taste of nothing = fig. to have no common sense;
si recta saperet Antonius = lit. if Antony would smell/taste of right things = fig. if Antony would have common sense, if Antony would be sensible;
nil parvum sapere = lit. to smell/taste of nothing small = fig. to have no sense for trifles;

Nihil sapis. = You are not sensible (able to make good judgements based on reason).


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