sabía
“sabía” means “knew” in Spanish (to describe a state of knowing in the past).
knew
Also: used to know, was aware
📝 In Action
Yo no sabía que tenías un hermano.
A2I didn't know you had a brother.
Ella ya sabía la respuesta antes de que el profesor preguntara.
B1She already knew the answer before the teacher asked.
¿Sabías que este edificio es histórico?
A2Did you know that this building is historic?
Él sabía tocar la guitarra muy bien.
B1He knew how to play the guitar very well.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "sabía" in Spanish:
was aware→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: sabía
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'sabía' to describe background knowledge?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'sapere,' which originally meant 'to taste' or 'to have sense,' and later evolved to mean 'to be wise.' Think of how having 'good taste' in judgment is a form of wisdom.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
💡 Master Spanish
Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'sabía' have an accent mark on the 'i'?
The accent mark is there to show you how to say the word. It breaks up the 'ia' vowel pair, telling you to pronounce them as two separate sounds: sa-BÍ-a. Without it, it might sound like 'sa-bia'. This happens with many verbs in this past tense, like 'tenía' (I had) and 'podía' (I could).
Can 'sabía' mean 'I knew how to' do something?
Yes, absolutely. When 'saber' is followed by another verb (like nadar, cocinar, hablar), it means 'to know how to' do that action. For example, 'De niño, yo sabía nadar muy bien' means 'As a child, I knew how to swim very well'.