In a Latin-based language like Spanish, most verbs follow a regular pattern depending on their endings (i.e. -ar, -er, and -ir verbs).

However, there are also a number of irregular verbs that don’t always follow a regular conjugation pattern. These kinds of verbs are divided into the following:

• Stem-changing verbs (which change depending on how they are used in a sentence)
• Spelling-changing verbs (which have different consonants that help with pronunciation)

Then there are reflexive verbs (which show what/whom the subject of the sentence is by “reflecting” the action back on the subject). These can be both regular and irregular.

We’ll be focusing on “saber” in this article. But just to give you a heads up, there are two verbs in Spanish that mean “to know”. The other one is “conocer”. In general, “saber” refers to broader knowledge (how to do things), whereas “conocer” generally refers to knowing more specific things, like people and places.  

As with many other irregular verbs, “saber” is irregular in the “yo” form of the present tense. It’s also important to note the use of the accent marks here.

The Present Tense of Saber

ConjugationTranslationyo séI knowtú sabesYou (informal) knowél/ella/ello/uno sabeHe/she/one knowsusted sabeYou (formal) knownosotros sabemosWe knowvosotros sabéisYou all (informal) knowellos/ellas sabenThey knowustedes sabenYou all (formal) know

To illustrate how “saber” is used in the present tense, here are some examples:

• (Yo) sé cómo hacerlo (I know how to do it)
• ¿Tu sabes como llegar allí? (Do you know how to get there?)

Now we’ll move on to the preterit (past) tense. Here you’ll notice that “saber” has an irregular route i.e. sup-

The Preterit Tense of Saber

ConjugationTranslationyo supeI knewtú supisteYou (informal) knewél/ella/ello/uno supoHe/she/one knewusted supoYou (formal) knewnosotros supimosWe knewvosotros supisteisYou all (informal) knewellos/ellas supieronThey knewustedes supieronYou all (formal) knew

It’s important to note that the above tense refers to a completed action in the past, unlike the imperfect tense (below). Here are some examples to demonstrate:

• ¡En ese momento supe que había ganado la competencia! (I knew right at that moment that I had won the competition!)
• Ellos supieron inmediatamente cuando vieron el humo que el auto estaba roto. (They knew immediately when they saw the smoke that the car was broken)

As with many other irregular -er verbs, “saber” is conjugated according to the regular -er verb conjugation pattern in the imperfect tense. Note the way this tense deals with incomplete past actions (i.e. in reference to knowledge that is continuous).

The Imperfect Tense of Saber

ConjugationTranslationyo sabíaI used to knowtú sabíasYou (informal) used to knowél/ella/ello/uno sabíaHe/she/one used to knowusted sabíaYou (formal) used to knownosotros sabíamosWe used to knowvosotros sabíaisYou all (informal) used to knowellos/ellas sabíanThey used to knowustedes sabíanYou all (formal) used to know

Below are some examples of how “saber” is used in the imperfect tense:

• ¿Sabías que ella venía a la fiesta? (Did you know that she was coming to the party?)
• Ella sabía tejer cuando era más joven (She knew how to knit when she was younger)

In the future tense, note the use of the irregular stem sabr-, but the regular -er verb endings.

The Future Tense of Saber

ConjugationTranslationyo sabréI will knowtú sabrásYou (informal) will knowél/ella/ello/uno sabráHe/she/one will knowusted sabráYou (formal) will knownosotros sabremosWe will knowvosotros sabréisYou all (informal) will knowellos/ellas sabránThey will knowustedes sabránYou all (formal) will know

In closing, here are some ways to conjugate “saber” in the future tense:

• ¿Sabrá usted cuándo tomar la decisión? (Will you know when to make the decision?)
• Ellas sabrán como arreglar este error (They will know how to fix this mistake)

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