Sapere or Conoscere?

Italian has two verbs for English to know.

• sapere = to know a fact or to know how to do something. It is followed by an infinitive or by a clause with che, dove, come, se, quando, quanto: So nuotare (I can swim), Sai dov'è la stazione? (Do you know where the station is?)
• conoscere = to know (be familiar with) a person or a place. It is followed by a noun: Conosco tua sorella (I know your sister), Conosci Roma? (Do you know Rome?). It can also mean to meet someone for the first time.

The present of sapere is irregular: so, sai, sa, sappiamo, sapete, sanno. conoscere is regular: conosco, conosci, conosce, conosciamo, conoscete, conoscono (hard sc in conosco and conoscono).