saber Present Subjunctive Conjugation
saber — to know
The present subjunctive of saber is irregular: sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan.
saber Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this after expressions of doubt, emotion, or desire, such as 'Espero que...' or 'No creo que...'.
Notes on saber in the Present Subjunctive
Saber does not follow the 'yo-form' rule for the subjunctive. Instead, it uses the irregular root 'sep-'.
Example Sentences
Espero que sepas lo que haces.
I hope you know what you're doing.
tú
No creo que ellos sepan la dirección.
I don't think they know the address.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Dudo que sepamos la verdad pronto.
I doubt we will know the truth soon.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Seba or sea.
Correct: Sepa.
Why: Learners try to derive it from 'sé' or 'sabe', but the root for the subjunctive is 'sep-'.
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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-'.
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'.