Saber Conjugation in Spanish

Introduction

“Saber” is the Spanish verb that translates to “to know” in English, typically used to convey knowledge or skills. For example: “I speak Spanish” or “I know all the capital cities in Europe”. It can also refer to taste, such as in “The cake tastes like chocolate and orange”. It’s important not to confuse “saber” with “conocer”, another verb for “to know” but used in different contexts.

Indicative Tenses of Saber

Present Tense Conjugation of Saber

The present tense in Spanish, or “El Presente,” is used to describe actions, events, or states happening right now or in the near future. It is also used for facts and statements generally accepted as true. For example, “sé español”, means “I know Spanish.”

Examples:

1. Yo sé la respuesta.
2. Tú sabes cocinar muy bien.
3. Ella sabe cómo llegar a la estación.

Indicative Preterite of “Saber”

The Indicative Preterite tense for the verb “saber” is employed to refer to actions that were completed in the past at a distinct time point. For instance, “supe español” translates to “I knew Spanish.”

In Spanish, this tense is known as “El Pretérito Indefinido.”

Examples in Spanish:

• Ayer supe la verdad.
• ¿Supiste tú la respuesta correcta?
• Ellos no supieron que venir a la fiesta.

Indicative Imperfect for “Saber”

The Indicative Imperfect form of “saber” is employed to talk about actions in the past that occurred regularly or to describe past habits. A sentence like “sabía español” translates to “I used to know Spanish.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Imperfecto.”

Examples:

1. Yo sabía leer rápido cuando era niño.
2. Tú sabías todos los trucos de ese juego.
3. Ellos sabían cómo arreglar el coche.

Saber in the Present Progressive

The Present Progressive tense of “saber” is employed to describe an action that is happening continuously or at this very moment. For instance, “estoy sabiendo español,” translates to “I am knowing Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Present Progressive is referred to as “El Presente Progresivo.”

Examples:

1. Yo estoy sabiendo sobre la historia de España.
2. Nosotros estamos sabiendo la verdad del caso.
3. Ellas están sabiendo preparar la comida tradicional.

Knowing in Informal Future Tense

The informal future tense in Spanish is utilized to indicate an action that will be happening in the near future. An example of this would be “voy a saber español,” which translates to “I am going to know Spanish.”

In Spanish, this form is referred to as “El Futuro Próximo.”

Examples:

1. Yo voy a saber la respuesta mañana.
2. ¿Tú vas a saber cómo llegar a la fiesta?
3. Ellos van a saber el secreto pronto.

Future Tense of “Saber” in the Indicative

The Future Tense in the Indicative Mood for “saber” is used when describing actions or events that will occur in the future. For instance, “sabré español” translates to “I will know Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Future Tense in the Indicative Mood is referred to as “El Futuro Simple.”

Examples:

1. Yo sabré la respuesta mañana.
2. Tú sabrás qué hacer en esa situación.
3. Ellos sabrán la verdad muy pronto.

Saber in the Conditional Mood

The Conditional Mood of saber is used to express potential future actions, hypothetical situations, and probabilities. For instance, “sabría español” means “I would know Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Conditional Mood is referred to as “El Condicional Simple.”

Examples:

1. Yo sabría la respuesta si estudiara más.
2. ¿Tú sabrías qué decir en esa situación?
3. Ellos sabrían qué hacer en caso de emergencia.

Saber in the Indicative Present Perfect

The Present Perfect tense (Indicativo Pretérito Perfecto) of “saber” is employed to express actions that started in the past and continue into the present or that have been completed recently. For example, “he sabido español,” translates to “I have known Spanish.”

Examples:

1. Yo he sabido la respuesta desde la semana pasada.
2. Ellos han sabido cómo resolver el problema.
3. Nosotros hemos sabido la verdad todo este tiempo.

Saber in the Indicative Pluperfect Tense

The Pluperfect Indicative of “saber” is utilized to discuss actions that occurred before another past event. For example, “había sabido español,” which means “I had known Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Pluperfect Indicative is referred to as “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto.”

Examples:

1. Yo había sabido la verdad antes de que me lo dijeras.
2. Tú habías sabido cómo resolver el problema antes de la reunión.
3. Habíamos sabido la respuesta correcta antes del examen.

Future Perfect Tense of ‘Saber’ in Spanish

The Future Perfect tense of the verb ‘saber’ is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. For example, “habré sabido español” translates to “I will have known Spanish”.

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Futuro Perfecto”.

Example Sentences:

1. Para el año próximo, habré sabido toda la gramática española.
2. Tú habrás sabido la verdad antes de que termine el día.
3. Dentro de una semana, él habrá sabido todos los detalles del proyecto.

Saber in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Conditional Perfect in the indicative mood for the verb “saber” is utilized to describe actions that would have occurred in the past if certain conditions had been met. For instance, “habría sabido español” translates to “I would have known Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is referred to as “El Condicional Perfecto.”

Examples:

• Si hubiera estudiado más, habría sabido todas las respuestas del examen.
• De haber tenido más tiempo, habríamos sabido cómo resolver el problema.
• Si lo hubieras mencionado antes, habrían sabido la verdad.

Subjunctive Present of ‘Saber’

The Subjunctive Present is employed to discuss uncertain situations or to express emotions such as wishes, desires, and hopes. Unlike the indicative mood, it highlights the uncertainty of the events being mentioned. An example is “sepa,” which translates to “I know.”

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is referred to as “El Presente de Subjuntivo”.

Examples:

• Espero que yo sepa la respuesta a tiempo.
• Es importante que tú sepas lo que está pasando.
• Ojalá ellos sepan llegar a la fiesta sin problemas.

Using Saber in the Subjunctive Imperfect

The Subjunctive Imperfect is utilized to talk about hypothetical or uncertain events in the past or express emotional opinions about past occurrences. For example, “supiera,” which translates to “I knew.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Imperfecto Subjuntivo.”

Examples in Sentences:

1. Yo esperaba que supiera la respuesta correcta.
2. Si tú supieras lo que pasó, entenderías mi decisión.
3. Nosotros no creíamos que supiéramos tanto sobre el tema.

Subjunctive Future Tense for ‘Saber’

The Future Subjunctive is used to discuss hypothetical scenarios or events that may occur in the future. For example, “supiere,” meaning “I will know.”

In Spanish, this tense is called “El Futuro de Subjuntivo.”

Examples in Spanish:

1. Si yo supiere la verdad, te la diría.

   • If I will know the truth, I would tell you.

2. Si tú supieres cómo hacerlo, podrías ayudarme.

   • If you will know how to do it, you could help me.

3. Si ellos supieren las respuestas, no tardarían tanto.

   • If they will know the answers, they wouldn’t take that long.

”Saber” in the Subjunctive Present Perfect

The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to talk about past actions or events with relevance to the present or to indicate an action that will be completed by a future moment. For example, “haya sabido”, meaning “I have known”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as “El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo”.

Examples:

1. Es posible que yo haya sabido la respuesta correcta.
2. Dudo que tú hayas sabido lo que pasó ayer.
3. Espero que ellas hayan sabido la verdad antes de decidir.

Saber in the Subjunctive Past Perfect

The Subjunctive Past Perfect, also known as “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo” in Spanish, is used to express actions or events that happened before other actions/events in the past, often in hypothetical or conditional contexts.

Examples:

• Si hubiera sabido la verdad, no habría tomado esa decisión.
• Ojalá hubieras sabido lo importante que era para mí.
• Si ellos hubieran sabido del problema, lo habrían resuelto a tiempo.

Saber in the Future Perfect Subjunctive

The Future Perfect Subjunctive is used to talk about an action that will have occurred by a certain point in the future, provided a hypothetical condition is met. For example, “hubiere sabido,” meaning “I will have known.”

In Spanish, this tense is known as “El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo.”

Examples:

1. Espero que para entonces ya hubiere sabido la verdad.
2. Si para mañana no hubieres sabido la respuesta, estudiaremos juntos.
3. Para cuando llegues, ella ya hubiere sabido lo que pasó.

Imperative Forms of Saber

Saber in the Affirmative Command Form

The Affirmative Command Form is used to give direct instructions or commands in Spanish. This verb form is typically used to tell someone what to do. For instance, “sepa” means “(you formal) know!“.

In Spanish, this form is referred to as “El Imperativo Afirmativo.”

Examples:

1. Tú sabe la verdad y dímela.
2. Usted sepa la información antes de actuar.
3. Vosotros sabed las reglas del juego antes de empezar.

Saber in the Imperative Negative Form

The Negative Imperative is used to instruct or command someone not to do something. For instance, “no sepa” translates to “don’t know!” when addressing someone formally.

In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is referred to as “El Imperativo Negativo”.

Example sentences with usage

• Simplemente no sepas demasiado. Just don’t know too much.
• Por favor, no sepamos los detalles aún. Let’s not know the details yet, please.
• No sepáis nada antes de tiempo. Don’t know anything ahead of time.