Portuguese Verbs Saber vs Conseguir vs Poder vs Conhecer

Many Portuguese language learners, especially those who have English as their first language, will struggle to discern between these verbs: Saber, Conseguir, Poder, and Conhecer.

Why?

Because a single verb, “Can,” covers Saber, Conseguir, and Poder. Similarly, the verb “Know” corresponds to either Saber or Conhecer depending on the context. In other words, the Portuguese equivalents of “Know” and “Can” are more nuanced and thus trickier to master.

But fear not! This short guide will help you overcome these hurdles and navigate contextual subtleties. Let’s dive in.

Saber vs. Conseguir vs. Poder / Can in English

When we use Can, in Portuguese that could be either Saber, Conseguir, or Poder.

Saber – Skills and Know-how

We use Saber to talk about skills in general:

Joel: Sabes tocar guitarra?
Tiago: Sim, sei (tocar guitarra).
Joel: Can you play guitar? (Do you know how to play guitar?)
Tiago: Yeah, I can play guitar. (Yeah, I know how to play guitar.)

Granted, more often than not, in this kind of situation, we leave out our auxiliary Saber:

Joel: Tocas guitarra? 
Tiago:  Sim, toco (guitarra). 
Joel: Do you play guitar?
Tiago: Yes, I do.

Conseguir – Achievement