Breakdown of Es obligatorio conocer el funcionamiento del telar.
ser
to be
del
from the / of the
conocer
to know (people, places)
el telar
the loom
Questions & Answers about Es obligatorio conocer el funcionamiento del telar.
Why do we use the infinitive conocer here instead of a conjugated verb?
Because this is an impersonal rule, which ties into this lesson's focus. When an expression like es obligatorio, es necesario, or es importante states a general rule for everyone (rather than aiming it at a specific person), you follow it directly with an infinitive.
I thought "knowing how to do something" used saber. Why do we use conocer here?
Could I rephrase this sentence so that it actually uses saber?
Yes! To use saber, you just need to change the noun phrase into a verb phrase. You could say Es obligatorio saber cómo funciona el telar (It is mandatory to know how the loom works) or Es obligatorio saber operar el telar (It is mandatory to know how to operate the loom).
How would this sentence change if a manager was aiming this rule specifically at me, rather than it being a general sign?