conocerían

Conocerían is the third person plural form of the Spanish verb conocer in the present conditional tense. It expresses hypothetical or contingent actions in the present or future, often in clauses introduced by si (if) or cuando (when), or to make polite or speculative statements about others. The corresponding forms for the other persons are: conocería, conocerías, conocería, conoceríamos, conoceríais, conocerían. The verb conocer has two main meanings: to know someone or something, and to meet someone for the first time. It originates from Latin cognoscere.

Morphology and usage notes

Conocer is a regular -er verb in the conditional, formed with the infinitive conocer plus the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. In pronunciation, the stress falls on the syllable rí in conocerían. The conditional mood is used to express hypothetical situations, probability about a past event from a hypothetical standpoint, or polite requests in some contexts.

Examples

- Si viajaran a España, conocerían ciudades históricas. (If they traveled to Spain, they would know/meet historical cities.)

- ¿Conocerían a los organizadores si acudieran a la reunión? (Would they meet the organizers if they attended the meeting?)

Semantic notes

The meaning of conocerían can shift between “they would know” and “they would meet,” depending on the object following the verb (a person vs. a place or thing). In contrast to the imperfect tense, which describes past habitual knowledge, the conditional conveys hypothetical or potential actions.

See also

Conocer, Spanish verb conjugation, Conditional mood.