saber Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
saber — to know
The imperfect subjunctive uses the preterite stem 'sup-': supiera, supieras, supiera...
saber Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this in 'if' clauses (if I knew...) or when the main verb is in the past and requires the subjunctive.
Notes on saber in the Imperfect Subjunctive
It is based on the 3rd person plural preterite (supieron), dropping the '-ron' to add the endings.
Example Sentences
Si supiera la respuesta, te la diría.
If I knew the answer, I would tell you.
yo
Me gustaría que supieras la verdad.
I would like you to know the truth.
tú
Si supiéramos cocinar, no saldríamos tanto.
If we knew how to cook, we wouldn't go out so much.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Sabiera.
Correct: Supiera.
Why: Learners often forget to use the irregular preterite stem 'sup-'.
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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.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sabe
The imperative of saber is rarely used alone but appears in phrases like 'Sabe que...' or 'Sepa usted...'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sepas
All negative commands for saber use the present subjunctive forms preceded by 'no'.