saber Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
saber — to know
The imperative of saber is rarely used alone but appears in phrases like 'Sabe que...' or 'Sepa usted...'.
saber Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
Use to command someone to 'know' or 'be aware of' something. It is more common in formal writing or specific idioms.
Notes on saber in the Affirmative Imperative
The 'tú' form is 'sabe' (regular), but 'usted' and 'ustedes' use the subjunctive forms 'sepa' and 'sepan'.
Example Sentences
Sabe que siempre cuentas conmigo.
Know that you can always count on me.
tú
Sepa usted que esto no es aceptable.
Know (formal) that this is not acceptable.
Sabed que el tiempo es oro.
Know (plural/Spain) that time is gold.
vosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'Sé' as a command.
Correct: 'Sabe' is the command for saber; 'Sé' is the command for ser (to be).
Why: Because the present tense 'yo' form is 'sé', learners confuse it with the imperative.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: sé
Saber is regular in the present tense except for the 'yo' form, which is the unique word 'sé'.
Preterite
yo: supe
In the preterite, saber changes meaning to 'found out' or 'learned' and uses the irregular stem 'sup-'.
Imperfect
yo: sabía
The imperfect of saber is completely regular: sabía, sabías, sabía, sabíamos, sabíais, sabían.
Future
yo: sabré
Saber uses the irregular stem 'sabr-' followed by standard future endings.
Conditional
yo: sabría
The conditional uses the same irregular stem as the future: 'sabr-'.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sepa
The present subjunctive of saber is irregular: sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: supiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the preterite stem 'sup-': supiera, supieras, supiera...
Negative Imperative
yo: no sepas
All negative commands for saber use the present subjunctive forms preceded by 'no'.