Saber conjugation

Saber means "to know (a fact) / to know how". Here it is in every main tense, with real example sentences and a free checker for your own.

Meaningto know (a fact) / to know how

Type-er verb

Gerundsabiendo

Past participlesabido

Saber changes form (an irregular, stem-changing or spelling-changing form) in the present, preterite, future, conditional and present subjunctive. Juntos teaches Latin American Spanish, where ustedes replaces vosotros; the vosotros forms are shown for completeness.

Quick answer. Present: sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, saben. Preterite: supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supieron. All tenses below.

Saber conjugation tables

Jump to: present · preterite · imperfect · future · conditional · present subjunctive · present perfect · commands (imperative)

Saber in the present

what happens now or usually

yo	sé
tú	sabes
él / ella / usted	sabe
nosotros	sabemos
vosotros (Spain)	sabéis
ellos / ustedes	saben

Saber in the preterite

a finished action at a specific time

yo	supe
tú	supiste
él / ella / usted	supo
nosotros	supimos
vosotros (Spain)	supisteis
ellos / ustedes	supieron

Saber in the imperfect

habits, descriptions and background in the past

yo	sabía
tú	sabías
él / ella / usted	sabía
nosotros	sabíamos
vosotros (Spain)	sabíais
ellos / ustedes	sabían

Saber in the future

what will happen

yo	sabré
tú	sabrás
él / ella / usted	sabrá
nosotros	sabremos
vosotros (Spain)	sabréis
ellos / ustedes	sabrán

Saber in the conditional

what would happen

yo	sabría
tú	sabrías
él / ella / usted	sabría
nosotros	sabríamos
vosotros (Spain)	sabríais
ellos / ustedes	sabrían

Saber in the present subjunctive

after wishes, doubts and requests (quiero que…)

yo	sepa
tú	sepas
él / ella / usted	sepa
nosotros	sepamos
vosotros (Spain)	sepáis
ellos / ustedes	sepan

Saber in the present perfect

what has happened, up to now (he comido)

yo	he sabido
tú	has sabido
él / ella / usted	ha sabido
nosotros	hemos sabido
vosotros (Spain)	habéis sabido
ellos / ustedes	han sabido

Saber in the commands (imperative)

telling someone to do something (habla, no hables)

tú	sabe
tú (no)	no sepas
usted	sepa
nosotros	sepamos
vosotros (Spain)	sabed
ustedes	sepan

Saber in real sentences

Example sentences from the Juntos exercise bank, each checked before learners see it.

Present

Sé cocinar.
I know how to cook.
Pues, no sé qué hacer ahora.
Well, I don't know what to do now.

Preterite

Supe la verdad cuando llegué a casa.
I found out the truth when I arrived home.
Supe de la fiesta cuando mi amiga me llamó.
I found out about the party when my friend called me.

Mistakes learners make with saber

Saber is knowing facts and how to do things: sé nadar. Knowing a person or a place is conocer: conozco a María.
Saber + a skill takes the infinitive: sé hablar un poco de español, not sé hablo.
The yo form is sé, with an accent. Se without one is a pronoun.

Write your own sentence with saber

Not sure which past tense to use? The Spanish past tense course explains preterite vs imperfect with practice. Conjugate any other verb with the free Spanish conjugator, browse all 72 verb pages, or check any text with the free Spanish grammar checker.

Related verbs

Previous: querer · Next: venir · all verbs

ser conjugation
to be (identity, traits)
tener conjugation
to have
hacer conjugation
to do / to make
poder conjugation
to be able to (can)
querer conjugation
to want / to love
poner conjugation
to put
ver conjugation
to see / to watch
haber conjugation
there to be / to have (auxiliary)

Use saber in real conversation

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Questions people ask

Is saber irregular in Spanish?

Yes. Saber is irregular in most tenses: the present, preterite, future, conditional and present subjunctive all change form, so it's worth learning by heart.

What is the preterite of saber?

Yo supe, tú supiste, él/ella supo, nosotros supimos, ellos/ustedes supieron.

How do you conjugate saber in the present?

Yo sé, tú sabes, él/ella sabe, nosotros sabemos, ellos/ustedes saben.

What is the future of saber?

Yo sabré, tú sabrás, él/ella sabrá, nosotros sabremos, ellos/ustedes sabrán.

What is the present subjunctive of saber?

Que yo sepa, que tú sepas, que él/ella sepa, que nosotros sepamos, que ellos/ustedes sepan.