conocerle

Conocerle is a Spanish verb phrase formed by the verb conocer and the clitic pronoun le. It occurs in dialects that use leísmo, a phenomenon in which le is used as the direct object pronoun for masculine animate beings instead of lo. In such varieties, conocerle can mean either to meet him (to become acquainted with him) or to know him, depending on the context.

In standard Spanish, the direct object of conocer is typically marked with lo/la, and the verb is used with the preposition a before a person: conocer a alguien. When leísmo is present, conocerle is used instead of conocerlo for masculine persons. For example, Quiero conocerle means “I want to meet him,” while the corresponding standard form would be Quiero conocerlo. For a female person, standard grammar uses la: Ya la conozco is standard for “I already know her,” though some dialects may still use le in certain constructions.

Usage notes: Leísmo is common in parts of Spain and in various Latin American dialects, but it is considered nonstandard in some contexts and can be stigmatized in formal writing. For feminine or non-personal objects, lo/la remains the normative form in many varieties, and conocerle in those cases is rarely used outside leísmo contexts.

Examples:

- Quiero conocerle. (I want to meet him.)

- Ya le conozco. (I already know him.)

- Cuando le conozca, le presentaré. (When I meet him, I will introduce you to him.)

Etymology and related terms: conocer comes from Latin cognoscere; leísmo is a named phenomenon in Spanish grammar affecting several verbs that take human direct objects.