Saber Conjugation: Sé, Supe, Sabía and Every Tense (Chart)

Saber means "to know" a fact or "to know how" to do something. The irregular forms are sé (I know), the preterite supe, supo, the future sabré and the subjunctive sepa. Everything else follows the regular -er pattern: sabes, sabe, sabemos.

Saber Conjugation Chart

Indicative: present, preterite and imperfect

Future, conditional and present perfect

Subjunctive

Commands (imperative)

Gerund: sabiendo (estoy sabiendo) · Past participle: sabido (he sabido)

What Makes Saber Irregular

Saber is regular in most of the present tense, but it has four irregular spots:

• Yo sé. The accent is there to tell it apart from the pronoun se. Yo sé means "I know"; se is a reflexive pronoun.
• Preterite stem sup-: supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieron, with no accents.
• Future and conditional stem sabr-: sabré, sabría. The e of the infinitive drops out.
• Subjunctive stem sep-: sepa, sepas, sepamos. The command forms borrow it too: sepa usted.

The imperfect (sabía), the gerund (sabiendo) and the participle (sabido) are regular.

How to Use Saber

The hard part of saber isn't its conjugation but choosing between saber and conocer, which both translate as "to know":

• Saber is for facts, information and skills: Sé tu nombre (I know your name), ¿Sabes dónde está? (Do you know where it is?).
• Saber + infinitive means "to know how to": Sé nadar (I can swim, I know how to swim).
• Conocer is for people, places and things you're familiar with: Conozco a tu hermano.

In the preterite, saber changes meaning: supe usually means "I found out." Supe la noticia ayer means "I found out the news yesterday." Use the imperfect sabía for "I knew."

Common Expressions With Saber

Saber in Example Sentences

• No sé qué hora es. (I don't know what time it is.)
• ¿Sabes cocinar? (Do you know how to cook?)
• Supimos la verdad demasiado tarde. (We found out the truth too late.)
• Ya sabía que ibas a decir eso. (I already knew you were going to say that.)
• ¿Sabrías explicármelo otra vez? (Could you explain it to me again?)
• Es importante que sepas la respuesta. (It's important that you know the answer.)

Common Mistakes With Saber

• Writing "yo se" without the accent. Sé (I know) always takes an accent.
• Using conocer for facts. "Conozco que tienes razón" is wrong; say sé que tienes razón.
• Using supe for "I knew." Supe means "I found out." For ongoing knowledge in the past, use sabía.
• Saying "sabo." The present yo form is irregular: sé.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between saber and conocer?

Saber is for facts, information and skills (Sé la respuesta, sé nadar). Conocer is for people, places and familiarity (Conozco Madrid, conozco a Ana).

Why does sé have an accent?

The accent distinguishes sé (I know, also the tú command of ser) from se, the reflexive and indirect object pronoun. It doesn't change the pronunciation.

What does supe mean?

Supe is the preterite yo form of saber. It usually means "I found out" or "I learned," because the preterite marks the moment the knowing began.

What is the subjunctive of saber?

The present subjunctive is sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan.

Keep Practicing

The quiz below mixes pronouns and tenses from the chart above. For more practice, these guides pair well with saber:

• Conocer Conjugation: Conozco, Conocí, Conozca and Every Tense (Chart)
• Poder Conjugation: Puedo, Pude, Podría and Every Tense (Chart)
• Spanish Subjunctive Made Simple: A Complete Guide
• Imperfect Or Preterite A Guide to Spanish Past Tenses