I Think That They Don’t Know Us In Spanish | Say It Right

La forma más natural es «Creo que no nos conocen».

You can translate “I think that they don’t know us” into Spanish in a couple of clean ways, and one small choice changes the whole feel: the verb for “know.” English uses one word. Spanish usually picks between conocer (familiar with people/places) and saber (facts, data, skills). That’s why this sentence trips people up.

This article gives you the best everyday translation, plus the versions you’ll hear in real conversations, with quick tests so you can choose in seconds.

Saying “They Don’t Know Us” In Spanish With The Best Verb

In most situations, you’re talking about people not being familiar with you. That points to conocer. The most natural core line is:

• No nos conocen. (They don’t know us.)

Then you add “I think” in front:

• Creo que no nos conocen.
• Pienso que no nos conocen.

Both work. Creo sounds a touch more common in everyday speech. Pienso can feel a bit more “this is my opinion,” but plenty of speakers use them interchangeably in casual talk.

Why “Conocer” Fits This Sentence

Conocer covers knowing people, meeting them, being familiar with them, or recognizing them. That’s the idea behind “they don’t know us” in most real contexts: they haven’t met you, they don’t recognize you, or they don’t have you on their radar.

If you want a formal reference for the way conocer is used with people (and the “personal a” you’ll see with a direct object that’s a person), the RAE’s Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry for “conocer” lays out the standard usage.

When “Saber” Can Work Instead

Use saber when the meaning is “they don’t know about us” as information. Think: they don’t know we exist, they don’t know the details, they don’t know the plan.

• Creo que no saben de nosotros. (I think they don’t know about us.)
• Pienso que no saben nada de nosotros. (I think they don’t know anything about us.)

That little de matters. It pushes the meaning toward “about us,” not “familiar with us.” If you’re unsure which English meaning you’re carrying into Spanish, check the English verb senses first; the Cambridge entry for “know” in the English–Spanish dictionary is a handy map of the split between saber and conocer.

Where Word Order And Pronouns Go

Spanish object pronouns usually sit right before the conjugated verb. That’s why you get no nos conocen, not “no conocen nos.”

Build the sentence in two snaps:

1. Start with the base idea: conocer + nos → nos conocen.
2. Add negation: no + nos conocen → no nos conocen.

Then add the front clause:

• Creo que + no nos conocen.

Common Tweaks You’ll Hear

Spanish speakers often add a bit of context so the sentence lands cleanly:

• Creo que todavía no nos conocen. (I think they still don’t know us.)
• Pienso que no nos conocen bien. (I think they don’t know us well.)
• Creo que no nos conocen de nada. (I think they don’t know us at all.)

Todavía (“still/yet”) is a smooth fix when the meaning is “not yet.” Bien is useful when you mean “they’ve met us, but they don’t really know us.”

I Think That They Don’t Know Us In Spanish

If you want the sentence as close to the English shape as Spanish allows, these are the top two options:

• Creo que no nos conocen.
• Pienso que no nos conocen.

Pick the one that matches your voice. If you’re writing dialogue, creo often reads more natural. If you’re writing an opinion piece, pienso can fit nicely.

A Fast Meaning Check

Ask yourself one question: are you talking about familiarity with people, or knowledge of information?

• Familiarity → conocer → no nos conocen.
• Information → saber (+ often de) → no saben de nosotros.

That’s the whole fork in the road.

Best Translations By Situation

Below is a situation-based cheat sheet you can use without overthinking. It keeps the Spanish natural and keeps the meaning tight.

What You Mean	Spanish Line	When It Fits
They haven’t met us	Creo que no nos conocen.	New group, first contact, no prior familiarity
They don’t recognize us	Pienso que no nos conocen.	You’ve been around, they still don’t place you
They don’t know about us	Creo que no saben de nosotros.	Awareness, info, news, existence
They don’t know anything about us	Pienso que no saben nada de nosotros.	You mean “zero info,” not “no familiarity”
They don’t know us well	Creo que no nos conocen bien.	They know who you are, but not much beyond that
They still don’t know us	Creo que todavía no nos conocen.	Not yet; you expect that to change after meeting
I doubt they know us	No creo que nos conozcan.	You’re leaning toward “they don’t,” with doubt
I doubt they know about us	No creo que sepan de nosotros.	Doubt about awareness or information

Indicative Vs. Subjunctive With “Creo Que”

This is the grammar detail that makes your Spanish sound like Spanish. When the main clause is affirmative (Creo que…), the next verb normally goes in indicative:

• Creo que no nos conocen.

When the main clause is negative (No creo que…), Spanish often uses subjunctive in the next verb:

• No creo que nos conozcan.

So you get a clean pair:

• Creo que + no nos conocen (indicative)
• No creo que + nos conozcan (subjunctive)

If you want an authority link you can trust on this point, the RAE Libro de estilo section on indicative vs. subjunctive uses the same pattern with creo and no creo.

Two Versions That Sound Different

These two lines share the same idea in English, yet they land differently in Spanish:

• Creo que no nos conocen. (I’m stating my view as a straight claim.)
• No creo que nos conozcan. (I’m framing it as doubt or disbelief.)

If your tone is calm and matter-of-fact, the first one is usually the safer pick. If you’re pushing back on someone else’s assumption (“I don’t think so”), the second one is often the better fit.

Fundéu also writes about the typical mood choice after creer in negative form, with notes on special cases, in its entry on “creer: ¿indicativo o subjuntivo?”.

Small Add-Ons That Make The Line Sound Native

Once you have the base sentence, you can add one or two small words that match real speech.

“Aún” And “Todavía” For “Yet”

If you mean “they don’t know us yet,” Spanish often uses todavía or aún:

• Creo que todavía no nos conocen.
• Pienso que aún no nos conocen.

Both read natural. Pick the one you like.

“Bien” For “Not Really Know”

If they’ve met you, but they don’t know you well, bien carries that meaning cleanly:

• Creo que no nos conocen bien.

“En Persona” When The Issue Is Meeting Face To Face

When the point is “they only know us online,” add en persona:

• Creo que no nos conocen en persona.

That one phrase can stop a misunderstanding.

Quick Pick Table For Writing, Texting, And Speech

Use this table as a final selector when you’re writing a caption, sending a message, or building dialogue.

Use Case	Spanish You Can Paste	Tone
Neutral statement	Creo que no nos conocen.	Direct, plain
Opinion feel	Pienso que no nos conocen.	Personal view
“Not yet” meaning	Creo que todavía no nos conocen.	Calm, time-based
They don’t know us well	Creo que no nos conocen bien.	Soft, measured
Doubt / pushback	No creo que nos conozcan.	Disbelief, rebuttal
They lack info about us	Creo que no saben de nosotros.	Awareness, info

Common Mistakes And Clean Fixes

Mistake: Using “Saber” For People

Creo que no nos saben sounds off in standard Spanish because saber usually wants information, not people as a direct object. Switch to:

• Creo que no nos conocen.

Mistake: Dropping The Object Pronoun

If you write Creo que no conocen, Spanish readers ask “don’t know who?” Add nos:

• Creo que no nos conocen.

Mistake: Mixing The Mood When You Negate “Creo”

These two patterns are common:

• Creo que no nos conocen.
• No creo que nos conozcan.

If you write No creo que nos conocen, it can sound rough to many readers. If your sentence starts with No creo que…, check that the next verb is in subjunctive: conozcan.

A Final One-Line Check Before You Hit Publish

If the meaning is “they aren’t familiar with us,” use conocer. If the meaning is “they don’t have info about us,” use saber and often add de. Then pick creo or pienso based on your voice. That’s it.