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sabían

sah-BEE-ahnsaˈβi.an

“sabían” means “they knew” in Spanish (Describing a past state of knowing a fact or skill).

they knew, you (all) knew

Also: they used to know, they were aware
VerbA2irregular (the base verb saber is irregular, though the imperfect ending is regular) er
Two simplistic, stylized cartoon figures, a boy and a girl, standing together and smiling knowingly. A single, large, glowing lightbulb hovers directly above the space between their heads, symbolizing shared knowledge.
infinitivesaber
gerundsabiendo
past Participlesabido

📝 In Action

Mis padres sabían nadar desde que eran pequeños.

A2

My parents knew how to swim since they were little.

En ese momento, ellas no sabían la verdad sobre el robo.

B1

At that time, they didn't know the truth about the robbery.

Ustedes sabían perfectamente lo que tenían que hacer.

A2

You (all) knew perfectly well what you had to do.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • conocían (they were familiar with)
  • entendían (they understood)

Antonyms

  • ignoraban (they were unaware of)

Common Collocations

  • sabían la verdad – they knew the truth
  • sabían cómo hacerlo – they knew how to do it

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedsabe
yosé
túsabes
ellos/ellas/ustedessaben
nosotrossabemos
vosotrossabéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsabía
yosabía
túsabías
ellos/ellas/ustedessabían
nosotrossabíamos
vosotrossabíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedsupo
yosupe
túsupiste
ellos/ellas/ustedessupieron
nosotrossupimos
vosotrossupisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedsepa
yosepa
túsepas
ellos/ellas/ustedessepan
nosotrossepamos
vosotrossepáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsupiera/supiese
yosupiera/supiese
túsupieras/supieses
ellos/ellas/ustedessupieran/supiesen
nosotrossupiéramos/supiésemos
vosotrossupierais/supieseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: sabían

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'sabían'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
decíantraían
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin verb *sapere*, which originally meant 'to taste' or 'to discern by taste,' but eventually evolved to mean 'to be wise' or 'to know.'

First recorded: Old Spanish (around the 10th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: sabiamFrench: savaient

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'sabían' and 'supieron'?

'Sabían' (Imperfect) describes a state of knowledge that existed for a long time in the past ('They knew'). 'Supieron' (Preterite) describes the moment they gained that knowledge ('They found out' or 'They learned').