saber Present Conjugation
saber — to know
Saber is regular in the present tense except for the 'yo' form, which is the unique word 'sé'.
saber Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present to talk about facts you currently know or skills you possess (when followed by an infinitive).
Notes on saber in the Present
Only the first person singular is irregular (sé). All other forms follow the standard -er pattern (sabes, sabe, etc.).
Example Sentences
No sé dónde están mis llaves.
I don't know where my keys are.
yo
Ella sabe hablar tres idiomas.
She knows how to speak three languages.
él/ella/usted
Sabemos que tienes razón.
We know that you are right.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'se' without an accent.
Correct: The form is 'sé'.
Why: Without the accent, 'se' is a reflexive or indirect object pronoun; the accent marks it as the verb 'to know'.
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Related Tenses
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...
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'.