手早い答え
conhecer は知り合う・知っていること、encontrar は特定の機会に見つける・会うことです。
確実な見分け方は、英語から訳す前に、その単語の働きを見きわめることです。
それぞれの単語の働き
conhecer
to know or meet for the first time
Use conhecer for becoming acquainted with a person, place, or subject.
encontrar
to find or meet
Use encontrar for coming across someone or meeting after the first introduction.
選び方
- conhecer: Choose conhecer if the sentence points to becoming acquainted with a person, place, or subject.
- encontrar: Choose encontrar if the sentence points to coming across someone or meeting after the first introduction.
例文
Conheci a Ana na escola.
I met Ana at school.
Encontrei a Ana no mercado ontem.
I ran into Ana at the market yesterday.
よくある落とし穴
For a first introduction, conheci is natural. Encontrei does not by itself mean that the people became acquainted.
文脈の中で練習する
自分の実生活から文を一つ選び、二回書いてみましょう。一度はconhecerで、もう一度はencontrarで。どちらも成り立ちそうなら、意味の違いを言葉にしてみましょう。