Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Saber in Spanish
To know (things) Irregular Verb
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Saber
- Saber in the Indicative Present
- Saber in the Indicative Preterite
- Saber in the Indicative Imperfect
- Saber in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Saber in the Indicative Informal Future
- Saber in the Indicative Future
- Saber in the Indicative Conditional
- Saber in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Saber in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Saber in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Saber in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Saber
- Saber in the Subjunctive Present
- Saber in the Subjunctive Imperfect
- Saber in the Subjunctive Future
- Saber in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
- Saber in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
- Saber in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
- Imperative tenses of Saber
- Saber in the Imperative Affirmative
- Saber in the Imperative Negative
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Saber conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Saber is the Spanish verb meaning "to know" (things). It is mostly used to portray knowledge - for example: "I speak Spanish" and "I know all the capital cities in Europe". It can also be used to express taste; for example: "The cake tastes like chocolate and orange". Saber is not to be confused with Conocer, also meaning "to know" but used in different situations.
| Spanish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | saber | to know (things) |
| Past participle | sabido | known |
| Gerund | sabiendo | knowing |
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Indicative Tenses of Saber
Saber in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of saber is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "sé español", meaning "I know Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sé | I know |
| Tú | sabes | you know |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sabe | s/he know, you (formal) know |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sabemos | we know |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sabéis | you (plural) know |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | saben | they know, you (plural formal) know |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of saber is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "supe español", meaning "I knew Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | supe | I knew |
| Tú | supiste | you knew |
| Ella / Él / Usted | supo | s/he knew, you (formal) knew |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | supimos | we knew |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | supisteis | you (plural) knew |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | supieron | they knew, you (plural formal) knew |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of saber is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "sabía español", meaning "I used to know Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sabía | I used to know |
| Tú | sabías | you used to know |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sabía | s/he used to know, you (formal) used to know |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sabíamos | we used to know |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sabíais | you (plural) used to know |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sabían | they used to know, you (plural formal) used to know |
Saber in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of saber is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy sabiendo español", meaning "I am knowing Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy sabiendo | I am knowing |
| Tú | estás sabiendo | you are knowing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está sabiendo | s/he is knowing, you (formal) are knowing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos sabiendo | we are knowing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis sabiendo | you (plural) are knowing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están sabiendo | they are knowing, you (plural formal) are knowing |
Saber in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of saber is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a saber español", meaning "I am going to know Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a saber | I am going to know |
| Tú | vas a saber | you are going to know |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a saber | s/he is going to know, you (formal) are going to know |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a saber | we are going to know |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a saber | you (plural) are going to know |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a saber | they are going to know, you (plural formal) are going to know |
Saber in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of saber is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "sabré español", meaning "I will know Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sabré | I will know |
| Tú | sabrás | you will know |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sabrá | s/he will know, you (formal) will know |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sabremos | we will know |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sabréis | you (plural) will know |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sabrán | they will know, you (plural formal) will know |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of saber is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "sabría español", meaning "I would know Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sabría | I would know |
| Tú | sabrías | you would know |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sabría | s/he would know, you (formal) would know |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sabríamos | we would know |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sabríais | you (plural) would know |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sabrían | they would know, you (plural formal) would know |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of saber is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he sabido español", meaning "I have known Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he sabido | I have known |
| Tú | has sabido | you have known |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha sabido | s/he has known, you (formal) have known |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos sabido | we have known |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis sabido | you (plural) have known |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han sabido | they have known, you (plural formal) have known |
Saber in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of saber is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había sabido español", meaning "I had known Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había sabido | I had known |
| Tú | habías sabido | you had known |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había sabido | s/he had known, you (formal) had known |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos sabido | we had known |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais sabido | you (plural) had known |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían sabido | they had known, you (plural formal) had known |
Saber in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of saber is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré sabido español", meaning "I will have known Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré sabido | I will have known |
| Tú | habrás sabido | you will have known |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá sabido | s/he will have known, you (formal) will have known |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos sabido | we will have known |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis sabido | you (plural) will have known |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán sabido | they will have known, you (plural formal) will have known |
Saber in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of saber is used to talk about something that would have happened in the future but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría sabido español", meaning "I would have known Spanish".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría sabido | I would have known |
| Tú | habrías sabido | you would have known |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría sabido | s/he would have known, you (formal) would have known |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos sabido | we would have known |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais sabido | you (plural) would have known |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían sabido | they would have known, you (plural formal) would have known |
🇪🇸 Try our app!Get the most comprehensive verb tables for Saber and 1,650+ other verbs. Plus lessons & interactive quizzes to help you master Spanish conjugation.
Subjunctive Tenses of Saber
Saber in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "sepa", meaning "I know".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sepa | I know |
| Tú | sepas | you know |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sepa | s/he know, you (formal) know |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sepamos | we know |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sepáis | you (plural) know |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sepan | they know, you (plural formal) know |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "supiera", meaning "I knew".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | supiera | I knew |
| Tú | supieras | you knew |
| Ella / Él / Usted | supiera | s/he knew, you (formal) knew |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | supiéramos | we knew |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | supierais | you (plural) knew |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | supieran | they knew, you (plural formal) knew |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. For example, "supiere", meaning "I will know".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | supiere | I will know |
| Tú | supieres | you will know |
| Ella / Él / Usted | supiere | s/he will know, you (formal) will know |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | supiéremos | we will know |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | supiereis | you (plural) will know |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | supieren | they will know, you (plural formal) will know |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya sabido", meaning "I have known".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya sabido | I have known |
| Tú | hayas sabido | you have known |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya sabido | s/he has known, you (formal) have known |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos sabido | we have known |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis sabido | you (plural) have known |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan sabido | they have known, you (plural formal) have known |
Saber in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera sabido", meaning "I had known".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera sabido | I had known |
| Tú | hubieras sabido | you had known |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera sabido | s/he had known, you (formal) had known |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos sabido | we had known |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais sabido | you (plural) had known |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran sabido | they had known, you (plural formal) had known |
Saber in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. For example, "hubiere sabido", meaning "I will have known".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere sabido | I will have known |
| Tú | hubieres sabido | you will have known |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere sabido | s/he will have known, you (formal) will have known |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos sabido | we will have known |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis sabido | you (plural) will have known |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren sabido | they will have known, you (plural formal) will have known |
🇪🇸 Try our app!Get the most comprehensive verb tables for Saber and 1,650+ other verbs. Plus lessons & interactive quizzes to help you master Spanish conjugation.
Imperative Tenses of Saber
Saber in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "sepa", meaning "(to you formal) know!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | sabe | (to you) know! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sepa | (to you formal) know! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sepamos | let's know! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sabed | (to you plural) know! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sepan | (to you plural formal) know! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Saber in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no sepa", meaning "(to you formal) don't know!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no sepas | (to you) don't know! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no sepa | (to you formal) don't know! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no sepamos | let's not know! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no sepáis | (to you plural) don't know! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no sepan | (to you plural formal) don't know! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Example sentences and usage
- Simplemente no sé qué decir... I just don't know what to say.
- No sabía de dónde venía eso. I didn't know where it came from.
- ¡¿Cómo que no sabes?! What do you mean you don't know?!
- ¡No te preocupes, sé feliz! Don't worry, be happy!
- Yo sabía que hoy sería divertido. I knew that today would be fun.
- ¿De casualidad sabes dónde dejé mis llaves? Any chance you know where I put my keys?
- Ni siquiera saben por qué. They don't even know why.
- ¿Sabes montar a caballo? Can you ride a horse?
Downloadable cheat sheets
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