Connaître is the verb you use when you know a person, a place, a work of art, or anything you can be acquainted with through experience. It contrasts with savoir, which is for facts, information, and learned skills. Je connais Paris — I know Paris (the city). Je sais que Paris est la capitale — I know that Paris is the capital (the fact). The split between the two is one of the first hard distinctions an English speaker has to internalize.
This page is the full reference: every paradigm, the famous connaît circumflex (and the 1990 spelling-reform alternative), the family of -aître verbs (paraître, apparaître, disparaître, reconnaître), the major uses, and the aspectual shift in the passé composé. For the savoir/connaître contrast specifically, see choosing/savoir-vs-connaitre.
A note on the circumflex
The traditional spelling of connaître keeps a circumflex on the i whenever the i is followed by a t in the same syllable: connaître, il connaît, je connaîtrai, je connaîtrais. Other forms drop it: je connais, nous connaissons, que je connaisse.
The 1990 spelling reform (rectifications orthographiques) made the circumflex optional in this position: modern dictionaries accept both connaitre and connaître, il connait and il connaît. In practice:
- Traditional spelling (connaître) is still the default in literary publishing, official writing, and most adult dictionaries.
- Reformed spelling (connaitre) is increasingly accepted in primary-school textbooks and digital communication.
- Both forms are correct; native speakers vary.
This page uses the traditional spelling — the one you will see most often in books, newspapers, and formal writing. If you write connaitre without the circumflex, you are not making a mistake. If you write connaître with the circumflex, you are also not making a mistake. Pick one and be consistent.
The simple tenses
Présent de l'indicatif
The defining quirk: the third-person singular connaît keeps the circumflex (il connaît, elle connaît, on connaît). All other present forms drop it. The pattern is: circumflex on i before t; no circumflex elsewhere.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | connais | /kɔnɛ/ |
| tu | connais | /kɔnɛ/ |
| il / elle / on | connaît | /kɔnɛ/ |
| nous | connaissons | /kɔnɛsɔ̃/ |
| vous | connaissez | /kɔnɛse/ |
| ils / elles | connaissent | /kɔnɛs/ |
The plural forms add the -iss- extension /ɛs/, which makes the verb sound similar to the regular 2e-groupe verbs like finir / nous finissons. But connaître is not a regular 2e-groupe verb — its singular forms (je connais, /kɔnɛ/) lack the second-group -i- /i/ ending of finis /fini/.
Je connais ce restaurant — j'y vais souvent avec ma sœur.
I know that restaurant — I often go there with my sister.
Vous vous connaissez déjà ? Je pensais vous présenter.
Do you two already know each other? I was going to introduce you.
Imparfait
Built on the plural stem connaiss- (the nous connaissons stem) plus the regular imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connaissais |
| tu | connaissais |
| il / elle / on | connaissait |
| nous | connaissions |
| vous | connaissiez |
| ils / elles | connaissaient |
The imparfait je connaissais corresponds to English I knew (the stative meaning — to be acquainted with). This contrasts with the passé composé j'ai connu, which means "I met (for the first time)."
Je le connaissais bien à l'époque, on était voisins.
I knew him well back then, we were neighbors.
On ne connaissait personne à la fête, alors on est partis tôt.
We didn't know anyone at the party, so we left early.
Passé simple (literary)
Stem conn- with -us- class endings, like savoir. Restricted to literary writing.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connus |
| tu | connus |
| il / elle / on | connut |
| nous | connûmes |
| vous | connûtes |
| ils / elles | connurent |
The circumflex on connûmes and connûtes is mandatory.
Il connut son premier succès à vingt ans.
He had his first success at twenty. (literary)
Futur simple
Stem connaîtr- (with the circumflex throughout the futur and conditionnel — though again, the 1990 reform allows connaitr- without).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connaîtrai |
| tu | connaîtras |
| il / elle / on | connaîtra |
| nous | connaîtrons |
| vous | connaîtrez |
| ils / elles | connaîtront |
Tu connaîtras la réponse une fois que tu auras fini le livre.
You'll know the answer once you've finished the book.
Ce projet connaîtra un grand succès, j'en suis sûr.
This project will be a great success, I'm sure of it.
The futur of connaître often appears in the metaphorical sense connaître un succès / un échec — to enjoy a success / to suffer a setback. This is more common in writing than in conversation.
Conditionnel présent
Same stem connaîtr- as the futur, with the imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connaîtrais |
| tu | connaîtrais |
| il / elle / on | connaîtrait |
| nous | connaîtrions |
| vous | connaîtriez |
| ils / elles | connaîtraient |
Si on habitait à Lyon, on connaîtrait sûrement plein de gens.
If we lived in Lyon, we'd definitely know lots of people.
Subjonctif présent
Built on the plural stem connaiss- — no circumflex anywhere in the subjunctive (the t is not adjacent to the i).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) je | connaisse |
| (que) tu | connaisses |
| (qu')il / elle / on | connaisse |
| (que) nous | connaissions |
| (que) vous | connaissiez |
| (qu')ils / elles | connaissent |
Il faut que tu connaisses ton sujet à fond.
You need to know your subject thoroughly.
Je doute qu'elle connaisse la situation.
I doubt she knows the situation.
Impératif
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | connais |
| (nous) | connaissons |
| (vous) | connaissez |
The imperative of connaître is rare in conversation — you don't normally command someone to "know" something. It appears most often in the fixed expression connais-toi toi-même ("know thyself," from the Greek philosophical maxim).
Connaissez vos droits avant de signer le contrat.
Know your rights before signing the contract. (formal)
Participles
- Participe passé: connu (feminine connue, plural connus / connues)
- Participe présent: connaissant
- Gérondif: en connaissant
The past participle connu is also used as an adjective meaning well-known: un acteur connu (a well-known actor), une chanson connue (a well-known song).
Connaissant bien le quartier, elle nous a guidés sans hésiter.
Knowing the neighborhood well, she led us without hesitating.
The compound tenses
Connaître uses avoir as its auxiliary.
Passé composé — the aspectual shift
avoir (présent) + connu
The passé composé of connaître does not mean "I knew" — it means "I met" (for the first time) or "I came to know." This is the same kind of aspectual shift that happens with savoir (j'ai su = "I found out"). For the stative "I knew," use the imparfait je connaissais.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je connaissais | I knew (state of acquaintance) |
| j'ai connu | I met / I came to know (transition into acquaintance) |
J'ai connu mon mari à l'université, en 2008.
I met my husband at university, in 2008.
On s'est connus à Marseille, dans un café près du vieux port.
We met in Marseille, in a café near the old port.
Cette ville a connu de grands changements ces dernières années.
This city has undergone big changes in recent years.
The third example shows the metaphorical use: connaître des changements / des difficultés / un succès — to undergo / experience / enjoy. This is a productive idiom.
Plus-que-parfait
avoir (imparfait) + connu
J'avais connu sa famille quand j'étais étudiant.
I had known his family when I was a student.
Futur antérieur
avoir (futur) + connu
Tu auras connu mille aventures avant tes trente ans.
You'll have lived through a thousand adventures before you turn thirty.
Conditionnel passé
avoir (conditionnel) + connu
Sans toi, je n'aurais jamais connu cette région.
Without you, I would never have come to know this region.
The core uses
1. Know a person
This is the most common use. Connaître quelqu'un = to know someone, to be acquainted with them, to have met them.
Tu connais le nouveau voisin ? Je l'ai croisé ce matin.
Do you know the new neighbor? I bumped into him this morning.
On se connaît depuis le lycée.
We've known each other since high school.
The reflexive se connaître is the standard way to talk about mutual acquaintance.
2. Know a place
Connaître is for cities, neighborhoods, countries, restaurants, museums, paths through a forest — any place you have experiential familiarity with.
Je connais bien ce quartier, j'y ai habité dix ans.
I know this neighborhood well, I lived here for ten years.
Tu connais un bon restaurant italien dans le coin ?
Do you know a good Italian restaurant around here?
3. Know a work of art / book / film / song
For cultural objects — anything you can have experienced and remember — connaître is the verb.
Tu connais ce film ? Il est sorti il y a quelques semaines.
Do you know that movie? It came out a few weeks ago.
Je connais cette chanson par cœur.
I know that song by heart.
Vous connaissez le dernier roman de Modiano ?
Have you read the latest Modiano novel? (lit. 'do you know')
4. Metaphorical: undergo, experience
Connaître + abstract noun = to undergo, to experience, to know (in the sense of go through). This use is productive in journalism and formal speech.
L'entreprise connaît une crise sans précédent.
The company is going through an unprecedented crisis.
Le pays a connu vingt ans de guerre civile.
The country experienced twenty years of civil war.
Cet album a connu un succès énorme à sa sortie.
This album was a huge success when it came out.
5. Reflexive: know each other / know oneself
Se connaître — when reciprocal, "to know each other"; when reflexive, "to know oneself."
On ne se connaissait pas avant la conférence.
We didn't know each other before the conference.
Il faut se connaître soi-même avant de juger les autres.
You have to know yourself before judging others.
The -aître family
A whole family of high-frequency verbs is built on the -aître template. They all conjugate identically — same circumflex pattern (il connaît, il paraît), same plural -aiss- extension, same -u past participle.
| Verb | Meaning | 3sg present | Past participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| connaître | to know (be acquainted with) | il connaît | connu |
| reconnaître | to recognize | il reconnaît | reconnu |
| méconnaître | to fail to appreciate | il méconnaît | méconnu |
| paraître | to appear, seem | il paraît | paru |
| apparaître | to appear (come into view) | il apparaît | apparu |
| disparaître | to disappear | il disparaît | disparu |
| comparaître | to appear (in court) | il comparaît | comparu |
| repaître | to feed (literary) | il repaît | repu |
Note that paraître and its compounds use avoir in compound tenses (il a paru); disparaître used to take être in older usage but now standardly takes avoir.
Je ne te reconnais pas avec cette nouvelle coiffure !
I don't recognize you with that new haircut!
Le soleil paraît derrière les nuages.
The sun is appearing from behind the clouds.
Comparison with English
Three friction points:
Connaître vs savoir. English know covers both. Connaître = acquaintance with people, places, works (experiential familiarity). Savoir = facts, information, learned skills. Je sais qu'il s'appelle Paul (fact: I know his name) ≠ je connais Paul (acquaintance: I know him).
Aspectual shift in passé composé. J'ai connu is not "I knew" — it's "I met" (for the first time). For "I knew," use the imparfait je connaissais. The shift is parallel to j'ai su / je savais.
Connaître never takes que-clauses. Unlike English know that and French savoir que, you cannot say je connais que. Acquaintance is with objects, not propositions. Use savoir que for facts, connaître for entities.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using connaître with a que-clause.
❌ Je connais qu'il est marié.
Wrong — connaître never takes a que-clause. For facts, use savoir.
✅ Je sais qu'il est marié.
I know he's married.
Mistake 2: Using savoir for a person.
❌ Je sais Marie depuis l'enfance.
Wrong — for people, French uses connaître. Savoir is for facts about people, not the people themselves.
✅ Je connais Marie depuis l'enfance.
I've known Marie since childhood.
Mistake 3: Using j'ai connu to mean I knew.
❌ J'ai connu mon professeur de français.
Likely wrong if you mean 'I used to know him.' J'ai connu means 'I met.' For the stative 'I knew,' use the imparfait je connaissais.
✅ Je connaissais mon professeur de français.
I knew my French teacher (well, over time).
Mistake 4: Forgetting the circumflex on the third-person singular of the present.
❌ Il connait Paris très bien. (traditional spelling)
In traditional spelling, the 3sg keeps the circumflex: il connaît. The 1990 reform makes it optional, but most published writing keeps it.
✅ Il connaît Paris très bien.
He knows Paris very well.
Mistake 5: Thinking connaître means meet in the present tense.
❌ Je connais Marie ce soir.
Wrong — connaître in the present means 'know,' not 'meet.' For 'I'm meeting Marie tonight,' use rencontrer or se voir.
✅ Je rencontre Marie ce soir. / Je vois Marie ce soir.
I'm meeting Marie tonight.
Key takeaways
Connaître is the verb for being acquainted with people, places, and works of art. It contrasts with savoir (facts, information, learned skills), and the contrast is non-negotiable. Connaître takes a noun phrase as its object; it never takes a que-clause.
The conjugation has one famous quirk: the third-person singular present il connaît keeps a circumflex on the i (the same circumflex appears in the futur stem connaîtr-). The 1990 spelling reform made the circumflex optional in this position, so il connait / connaitre / je connaitrai are all valid alternatives — but most published writing uses the traditional spelling.
The passé composé carries a critical aspectual shift: j'ai connu means "I met" (the first time I came into acquaintance), not "I knew." For "I knew" in the past, use the imparfait je connaissais. The same logic applies to savoir: j'ai su = "I found out."
The whole -aître family — paraître, apparaître, disparaître, reconnaître — conjugates identically, with the same circumflex pattern. Master connaître and you have mastered all of them.
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