Saber Conjugation | How to Conjugate Saber in Spanish

¡Hola! ¿Sabes hablar español? In this article, I’ll show you all the conjugations for the Spanish verb saber. You’ll learn how to conjugate saber in the different Spanish tenses and see some example sentences to help you practice.

The verb saber means “to know” in Spanish. Saber is an irregular verb, which means it doesn’t follow the regular patterns of other Spanish verbs. You can use saber to make a statement about something you know (“Yo sé hablar inglés”), or to ask someone for information about something you don’t know (“¿Sabes dónde está Fenway Park?”).

The table below shows 3 common conjugations for the saber verb: the infinitive, the gerund, and the past particle.

Here are three example sentences that use the conjugations of saber from the table above:

• Infinitive: Debes saber lo que pasó. (You should know what happened.)
• Gerund: Sabiendo todo el tiempo que toma, ellos llegaron temprano al aeropuerto. (Knowing how long it takes, they arrived early at the airport.)
• Past Participle: De haberlo sabido, no hubiese ido. (If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone.)

Now let’s take a look at the verb saber in all the different Spanish tenses. The table below shows all the Spanish verb tenses. You can click on each to see the verb conjugated in that specific tense.

How to Conjugate Saber in Indicative Tense

The indicative mood states facts, habits, or descriptions. It’s the most commonly used mood in Spanish because we use it to describe past, present, and future events. You will use the indicative conjugation of the verb saber to talk about things or events you know or don’t know about, to express doubt, or to make statements. Below, you will see the 5 different tenses for the indicative mood: present, future, preterite, imperfect, and conditional.

Indicative Present

The indicative present tense is used to talk about events in the present or the very near future. In the case of the verb saber, we use it to talk about things we currently know about. For example, you can say “Sé cuál es la capital de Los Estados Unidos” which means, “I know what the capital of the United States is.” You can also use the indicative present tense of saber to ask for current information, like “¿Sabes dónde es la fiesta?” which means “Do you know where’s the party?”

Below, you will see the indicative present tense conjugation table for the verb saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	sé	I know
Tú	sabes	You know
Vos	sabés	You know
Él/Ella/Usted	sabe	He/She/You know(s)
Nosotros	sabemos	We know
Vosotros	sabéis	You known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	saben	They/You know

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the indicative present tense:

• Yo sé donde compraste esas botas. / I know where you bought those boots.
• ¿Sabéis donde vive Pedro? / Do you know where Pedro lives?
• Manuel sabe que estás mintiendo. / Manuel knows you are lying.

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Indicative Future

In Spanish, we use the indicative future tense to talk about something that will happen later. In the case of saber, we use its indicative future conjugation to convey things we will know in the future. You can use this kind of sentence for statements or warnings. For example, you can say “Al final, yo sabré la verdad” which means, “By the end, I will know the truth”. 

Here’s the indicative future conjugation chart of saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	sabré	I will know
Tú	sabrás	You will know
Vos	sabrás	You will know
Él/Ella/Usted	sabrá	He/She/You will know
Nosotros	sabremos	We will know
Vosotros	sabréis	You will know
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	sabrán	They/You will know

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the indicative future tense:

• Ustedes sabrán el veredicto al final de la semana. / You will know the verdict by the end of the week.
• Vos sabrás hablar español pronto. / You will know how to speak Spanish soon. 
• Nosotros sabremos cuál es la mejor opción. / We will know what is the better option.

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Indicative Preterite

We use the indicative preterite tense to refer to events or actions in the past. With the verb saber, we use it to determine knowledge about past events. For example, you can say “Nosotros nunca supimos quién era el villano de la película” which means “We never knew who the villain was in the movie.” While you’ll see that the stem “sup-” doesn’t change for the indicative preterite conjugation, the ending changes when addressing different subjects, so pay attention to the pronoun.

You will find the indicative preterite conjugation chart for saber below:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	supe	I knew
Tú	supiste	You knew
Vos	supiste	You knew
Él/Ella/Usted	supo	He/She/You knew
Nosotros	supimos	We knew
Vosotros	supísteis	You knew
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	supieron	They/You knew

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the indicative preterite tense:

• Yo supe que pasó con ella después de muchos años. / I knew what happened to her after many years.
• Usted nunca supo que pasó con sus impuestos. / You never knew what happened with your taxes.
• Ellas supieron que decía la verdad. / They knew I was telling the truth. 

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Indicative Imperfect

The indicative imperfect is used in Spanish to refer to past ongoing actions. You can use this form of saber to talk about things you used to know but don’t necessarily remember. For example, you can say “Yo sabía tocar el violín” which means, “I used to know how to play the violin.”

Below, you will find the chart with the indicative imperfect conjugations for saber: 

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	sabía	I used to know
Tú	sabías	You used to know
Vos	sabías	You used to know
Él/Ella/Usted	sabía	He/She/You used to know
Nosotros	sabíamos	We used to know
Vosotros	sabíais	You used to know
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	sabían	They/You used to know

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the indicative imperfect tense:

• Tú sabías la dirección de la tienda. / You used to know the address to the store.
• Nosotros sabíamos cuál era el camino en carro. / We used to know which way by car.
• Vosotros sabíais donde se escondía el perro. / You used to know where the dog hid.

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Indicative Conditional

In Spanish, we use the indicative conditional to talk about things that would happen in the future if a different event took place. With saber, you can use the indicative conditional tense to refer to things someone would know if something else had happened before. For example, you can say “Si tú hubieras ido a la clase, sabrías qué tienes que hacer” which means, “If you had gone to the class, you would know what you need to do.”

Here’s the indicative conditional verb conjugation chart for saber: 

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	sabría	I would know
Tú	sabrías	You would know
Vos	sabrías	You would know
Él/Ella/Usted	sabría	He/She/You would know
Nosotros	sabríamos	We would know
Vosotros	sabríais	You would know
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	sabrían	They/You would know

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the indicative conditional tense:

• Vos sabrías a dónde ir si hubieses comprado un GPS. / You would know where to go if you had bought a GPS.
• Si pudiera ver el futuro, sabría los números de la lotería. / If I could see the future, I would know the lottery numbers.
• Si pudiese llamar al doctor, usted sabría que medicina tomar. / If you could call a doctor, you would know what medicine to take.

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How to Conjugate Saber in Perfect Tense

In Spanish, the perfect tense is used to discuss events that have or haven’t happened. In the case of saber, you can refer to events or things someone knew happened in the past. You can also use it to question or to state doubt about someone’s knowledge of past events. To conjugate saber in the perfect tense, you need to use the auxiliary Spanish verb haber. Note that while the present perfect form of saber (sabido) doesn’t change, the auxiliary verb haber changes to match the pronouns for all tenses. We’ll go over the following tenses: present perfect, future perfect, past perfect, conditional perfect, and preterite perfect.

Present Perfect

We use the present perfect to talk about actions completed in the past but are still relevant in the present. You can use the present perfect form of saber to refer to something you knew about before that is still true today. For example, you can say “Nosotros hemos sabido que vendieron la casa” which means, “We have known they sold the house.” 

You can find all the present perfect conjugations for the verb saber in the chart below:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	he sabido	I have known
Tú	has sabido	You have known
Vos	has sabido	You have known
Él/Ella/Usted	ha sabido	He/She/You have known
Nosotros	hemos sabido	We have known
Vosotros	habéis sabido	You have known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	han sabido	They/You have known

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the present perfect tense:

• Yo he sabido que viajarás. / I have known you will travel.
• Ellos han sabido que somos buenos vecinos. / They have known we are good neighbors.
• ¿Vos has sabido que Ofelia se casa? / ¿Have you known that Ofelia is getting married?

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Future Perfect

The future perfect tense helps us describe something that will happen before another future event. You can use saber in the future perfect tense to state that someone will know something by a specific point in the future. For example, you can say “Para el lunes a las 2 P.M., nosotros habremos sabido si ganamos el concurso” which means, “By Monday at 2 P.M., we will have known if we won the contest.”

Here’s the future perfect conjugation chart for the verb saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	habré sabido	I will have known
Tú	habrás sabido	You will have known
Vos	habrás sabido	You will have known
Él/Ella/Usted	habrá sabido	He/She/You will have known
Nosotros	habremos sabido	We will have known
Vosotros	habréis sabido	You will have known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	habrán sabido	They/You will have known

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the future perfect tense:

• Nosotros habremos sabido cuántos cachorros tendrá el perro antes de que pasen dos semanas. / We will have known how many puppies the dog is having before two two weeks have passed.
• Para entonces ya habré sabido si él decía la verdad. / By then, I will have known if he was telling the truth.
• Vosotros habreís sabido quién escribió la carta para el final del verano. / You will have known who wrote the letter by the end of the summer.

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Past Perfect (Pluperfect)

The past perfect tense, also called pluperfect,  is used in Spanish to describe events that happened before other events in the past. In the case of saber, you can use it to talk about things that were or weren’t known before other actions or events in the past. You can also use it to question somebody’s past actions in relation to previous knowledge. For example, you can say “Si vos habías sabido que estabas enfermo, no debiste ir a la fiesta” which means, “If you had known you were sick, you shouldn’t have gone to the party.”

Below, you will find the conjugation chart for saber in the past perfect.

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	había sabido	I had known
Tú	habías sabido	You had known
Vos	habías sabido	You had known
Él/Ella/Usted	había sabido	He/She/You had known
Nosotros	habíamos sabido	We had known
Vosotros	habíais sabido	You had known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	habían sabido	They/You had known

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the pluperfect tense:

• Si vosotros habíais sabido que llovería, ¿por qué decidisteis salir a patinar? / If you had known it was going to rain, why did you decide to go skating?
• Ellos habían sabido que no había entrada, pero aún así intentaron entrar al concierto. / They had known there were no tickets left, yet they tried to get in the concert. 
• Si tú habías sabido que estaban dando empanadas gratis, ¿por qué no me dijiste? / If you had known they were giving away free empanadas, why didn’t you tell me?

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Conditional Perfect

In Spanish, we use the conditional perfect to talk about opinions, probabilities, or theories. When we use the conditional perfect form of saber, we refer to things we would have known if a past condition had been met. For example, you can say “Yo habría sabido que escribiste si hubiese revisado mi buzón de email” which means, “I would have known you wrote if I had checked my inbox.”

You can find the conditional perfect conjugation chart for saber below: 

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	habría sabido	I would have known
Tú	habrías sabido	You would have known
Vos	habrías sabido	You would have known
Él/Ella/Usted	habría sabido	He/She/You would have known
Nosotros	habríamos sabido	We would have known
Vosotros	habríais sabido	You would have known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	habrían sabido	They/You would have known

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the conditional perfect tense:

• Nosotros habríamos sabido quien ganó el partido si hubiesemos visto el programa. / We would have known who won the match if we had watched the show.
• Vosotros habrías sabido que pasó si os hubieseis quedado un rato más. / You would have known what happened if you had stayed a bit longer.
• Él habría sabido el final de la historia si hubiese guardado silencio. / He would have known the end of the story if he had kept quiet.

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Preterite Perfect (Past Anterior)

The preterite perfect, or past anterior, is used to talk about actions completed at a specific point in time. However, in the case of the verb saber, the preterite perfect is used to address or question if someone knew about past events. While it’s not commonly used in modern Spanish, you can use the past anterior in statements or questions. For example, you can say “Él solo hubo sabido que llovía cuando oyó los truenos” which means, “He only knew it was raining when he heard the thunder.”   

Here’s the preterite perfect conjugation chart for the Spanish verb saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	hube sabido	I knew
Tú	hubiste sabido	You knew
Vos	hubiste sabido	You knew
Él/Ella/Usted	hubo sabido	He/She/You knew
Nosotros	hubimos sabido	We knew
Vosotros	hubisteis sabido	You knew
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	hubieron sabido	They/You knew

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the past perfect tense:

• Yo hube sabido la respuesta antes que los demás. / I knew the answer before the rest.
• ¿Vos hubiste sabido lo que le pasó a Carlos? / You knew what happened to Carlos?
• Ella hubo sabido antes que tú, pero no podía decir nada. / She knew before you, but she couldn’t say anything.

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How to Conjugate Saber in Subjunctive Tense

The subjunctive tense is used to express wishes, feelings, and desires, or to give an opinion. In Spanish, the subjunctive form of the verb saber is used to refer to certain events of the past to create an opinion, wish, or theory. We’ll go over the present, future, and imperfect subjunctive tenses.

Present Subjunctive

We use the present subjunctive to talk about wishes or hopes. In the case of saber, we use it to indicate that we hope or wish someone knows about something in the present. For example, you can say “Espero que ustedes sepan como resolver el acertijo” which means, “I hope you know how to solve the riddle.”

Below, you will find the present subjunctive conjugation table for saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	sepa	I know
Tú	sepas	You know
Vos	sepas	You know
Él/Ella/Usted	sepa	He/She/You know(s)
Nosotros	sepamos	We know
Vosotros	sepáis	You know
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	sepan	They/You know

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the present subjunctive tense:

• Espero que sepas la dirección para ese cheque.  / I hope you know the address for that check.
• Quiero que usted sepa que la presentación fue entretenida. / I want you to know that the presentation was entertaining.
• Espero que él sepa que hacer. / I hope that he knows what to do.

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Future Subjunctive

The future subjunctive tense describes hypothetical situations and actions that might happen later. You can use saber in the future subjunctive to talk about the possibility of acquiring certain knowledge in the future. For example, you can say “Si vos supieres cómo construir una mesa, no tendrías que comprar una nunca más” which means, “If you will know how to build a table, you wouldn’t have to buy one ever again.” This tense is not commonly used in modern Spanish, but you can find it in legal documents, colloquial expressions, and literature.

Here’s the future subjunctive conjugation table for the verb saber: 

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	supiere	I will know
Tú	supieres	You will know
Vos	supieres	You will know
Él/Ella/Usted	supiere	He/She/You will know
Nosotros	supieremos	We will know
Vosotros	supiereis	You will know
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	supieren	They/You will know

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the future subjunctive tense:

• En caso usted supiere dónde está, porfavor informele al departamento de policia. / In case you will happen to know where it is, please inform the police department. 
• Si vosotros supiereis la mitad de la historia, no diriais nada. / If you will know half the story, you will say nothing.
• Si yo superiere que pasó, te lo diría. / If I will know what happened, I will tell you.

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Imperfect Subjunctive

We use the imperfect subjunctive to talk about uncertain situations or events in the past. You can also use it to express feelings about a past event or unlikely possibilities in the future. The imperfect subjunctive form of saber can help you refer to something you wish you or someone else had known before. For example, you can say “Ojalá supiera cómo construir una casa” which means, “I wish I knew how to build a house.”

Below, you will find the imperfect subjunctive conjugation chart for saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	supiera/ supiese	I knew
Tú	supieras/ supieses	You knew
Vos	supieras/ supieses	You knew
Él/Ella/Usted	supiera/ supiese	He/She/You knew
Nosotros	supieramos/ supiesemos	We knew
Vosotros	supierais/ supieseis	You knew
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	supieran/ supiesen	They/You knew

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the imperfect subjunctive tense:

• Si tú supieras tejer, podrías tejerme un suéter. / If you knew how to knit, you could knit me a sweater.
• Si usted supiera volar un avión, podríamos llegar a la isla. / If you knew how to fly a plane, we could get to the island.
• Si ella supiera cuánto cuesta ese vestido, se desmayaría. / If she knew how much that dress costs, she would pass out.

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How to Conjugate Saber in Perfect Subjunctive Tense

The perfect subjunctive tense is used to talk about uncertain events that could have happened in the past and could have affected the present. The verb saber is used in the perfect subjunctive to talk about how the possibility of holding certain knowledge in the past could have influenced the present. You will need the auxiliary verb haber to conjugate saber in its perfect subjunctive form, so pay attention to the pronouns. We’ll go over the following perfect subjunctive tenses: present perfect subjunctive, future perfect subjunctive, and pluperfect subjunctive. 

Present Perfect Subjunctive

We use the present perfect subjunctive to talk about past events still connected to the present. You can also use it to describe a specific event or action that will have taken place at a specific point in time. In the case of the verb saber, you can use the present perfect subjunctive mood to talk about something you have known before that could have influenced present decisions, emotions, or perceptions. For example, you can say “Que vos hayas sabido la verdad me alegra mucho” which means, “That you have known the truth makes me happy.”

You will find the present perfect conjugations for saber in the chart below:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	haya sabido	I have known
Tú	hayas sabido	You have known
Vos	hayas sabido	You have known
Él/Ella/Usted	haya sabido	He/She/You have known
Nosotros	hayamos sabido	We have known
Vosotros	hayáis	You have known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	hayan sabido	They/You have known

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the present perfect subjunctive tense:

• ¿Crees que él haya sabido algo de Paula? / ¿Do you think he could have known something about Paula?
• No se si ustedes hayan sabido lo que pasó el otro día. / I don´t know if you have known what happened the other day.
• Que nosotros hayamos sabido, no significa que estemos de acuerdo. / That we have known doesn’t mean that we agree.

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Future Perfect Subjunctive

The future perfect subjunctive indicates what could or should have happened in a hypothetical future situation. You can use the future perfect form of saber to talk about things you will or wish you will have known later. For example, you can say “Si para entonces hubieres sabido dónde deje mi libro, llámame” which means, “If by then you will have known where I left my book, call me.” This mood is rarely used in modern Spanish, but you can find it in legal documents or old literature.

You can see all the future perfect subjunctive conjugations for the saber verb in the chart below:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	hubiere sabido	I will have known
Tú	hubieres sabido	You will have known
Vos	hubieres sabido	You will have known
Él/Ella/Usted	hubiere sabido	He/She/You will have known
Nosotros	hubieremos sabido	We will have known
Vosotros	hubiéreis sabido	You will have known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	hubieren sabido	They/You will have known

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the future perfect subjunctive tense:

• Si ellos hubieren sabido que iba a nevar, no hubiesen comprado boletos para Navidad. / If they would have known it was going to snow, they wouldn’t have bought tickets for Christmas.
• Si yo hubiere sabido que iba a enfermarme, hubiese llevado una chaqueta. / If I had known I was going to get sick, I would have taken a jacket.
• Vosotros hubiéreis sabido que hacer si supierais español. / You would have known what to do if you knew Spanish.

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Pluperfect Subjunctive

In Spanish, we use the pluperfect subjunctive to talk about wishes or desires. In the case of saber, you can use it to explain how a past situation could have changed if you had known something before said event took place. For example, you can say “Si nosotros hubieramos sabido que ibamos a ir al bosque, hubiesemos vestido botas” which means, “If we had known we were going to the woods, we would have worn boots.”

Below, you will find the pluperfect subjunctive conjugation chart for saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation	English Meaning
Yo	hubiese/ hubiera sabido	I had known
Tú	hubieras/ hubieses sabido	You had known
Vos	hubieras/ hubieses sabido	You had known
Él/Ella/Usted	hubiera/ hubiese sabido	He/She/You had known
Nosotros	hubiéramos/ hubiésemos sabido	We had known
Vosotros	hubierais/ hubieseis sabido	You had known
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	hubieran/ hubiesen sabido	They/You had known

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate saber in the pluperfect subjunctive tense:

• Si vosotros hubierais sabido la verdad, ¿habríais dicho algo? / If you had known the truth, would you have said something?
• Si yo hubiera sabido quién era, lo hubiese saludado. / If I had known who he was, I would have said hi.
• Si ella hubiera sabido dónde estaba su gato, ella hubiese sido feliz. / If she had known where her cat was, she would have been happy.

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How to Conjugate Saber in the Imperative Tense

The imperative mood serves to give commands or advice. It can also be used to make affirmative or negative statements. For example, you can say “¡Sabe que hacer!” which means, “You know what to do!”

Here’s the affirmative and negative imperative conjugation chart for the verb saber:

Pronoun	Saber Conjugation (Affirmative)	Saber Conjugation (Negative)	English Meaning
Tú	sabe	no sepas	Know/ Don’t know
Vos	sabé	no sepas	Know/ Don’t know
Él/Ella/Usted	sepa	no sepa	Know/ Don’t know
Nosotros	sepamos	no sepamos	Know/ Don’t know
Vosotros	sabed	no sepáis	Know/ Don’t know
Ellos/Ellas/ Ustedes	sepan	no sepan	Know/ Don’t know

Although it’s possible to conjugate saber in the imperative, it’s not really used in this tense. Some verbs in Spanish can’t be used in the imperative tense because you can’t tell someone to know, or not know, something.

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Tips for Conjugating Saber Correctly

The best way to learn how to conjugate Spanish verbs is to listen to and practice with native speakers. Listening to real-life Spanish conversations can help you become familiar with the language, learn colloquial expressions, and grasp how the vocabulary is really used. However, if you don’t know any native Spanish speakers, you can always find authentic Spanish media online that will help you practice conjugating the verbs.

Here are some examples of colloquial phrases that you can use to practice conjugating the verb saber. “¡A saber cuándo vendrá” which literally means, “Knowing when he/she will come back!” is an expression used to say that we don’t know when someone will be coming back. “Tiene un no sé qué” which means, “He/She has an I don’t know what” is used to convey that there is something about someone that causes us to feel or react in a certain way. Learning to conjugate irregular verbs can be hard, but with practice and effort, you will be speaking Spanish in no time!

Learn Spanish with Langoly!

Saber is one of the most frequently used verbs in Spanish, so learning how to conjugate it in all its tenses is important. Luckily, there are many ways to learn Spanish. If you prefer quick lessons, you can use Spanish apps. But, if you like more extensive grammatical explanations, many Spanish books can help you get a deeper understanding of the language. Spanish podcasts are a great way to squeeze study time into a busy schedule. And, you can watch YouTube videos to practice listening to native Spanish speakers.

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Saber Conjugation FAQ