Preterite vs. Imperfect Meaning

This form, 'supo,' uses the past tense for completed actions (the preterite). It describes a single moment when the knowledge *arrived*, like taking a snapshot of a discovery.

The 'Snapshot' Past Tense

'Supo' comes from the verb 'saber,' but it completely changes its stem (the beginning part) to 'sup-' in this tense. You just have to memorize this pattern!

Irregularity Alert

When you see or use 'supo,' usually the best English translation is 'found out' or 'learned' rather than simply 'knew,' which helps capture the sense of a sudden event.

Think 'Found Out'

Extremely common, as it is a core past tense form of the fundamental verb 'saber' (to know).

'Supo' is the third-person singular past tense of the verb 'saber' (to know). Learn how to use 'supo' correctly to mean 'found out' or 'managed to,' and master its distinction from 'sabía' (already knew).

supo

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations