Knowing vs. Finding Out

This word ('supe') is the simple past, used to talk about the *moment* you gained knowledge. If you want to talk about knowledge you possessed *over a period of time* in the past, use the imperfect form: 'Sabía que venías' (I knew you were coming).

Supe vs. Sabía

The verb 'saber' is highly irregular in the simple past, using the stem 'sup-'. This pattern is shared with a few other common verbs, like 'tener' (tuve) and 'estar' (estuve).

Irregular Preterite

When you use 'supe', it's often more natural to translate it as 'I found out' or 'I learned' (in the sense of gaining information), rather than just 'I knew,' which often implies the imperfect form in Spanish.

Translate as 'Found Out'

Extremely common. This is the simple past (preterite) form used when talking about gaining knowledge or finding out a fact.

Learn the definition, simple past (preterite) conjugation ('supe'), and common uses of the highly irregular Spanish verb saber, focusing on its meaning of 'I found out' or 'I realized' at a specific time.

supe

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations