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sabíamos

sah-BEE-ah-mossaˈbi.a.mos

“sabíamos” means “we knew” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

we knew

Also: we were aware, we used to know
VerbA1irregular er
Two friends standing together, looking down at a simple rolled-out parchment map marked with an X. Both characters have knowing expressions, indicating shared information.
infinitivesaber
gerundsabiendo
past Participlesabido

📝 In Action

Sabíamos que el tren llegaba tarde.

A1

We knew that the train was arriving late.

¿Por qué no nos dijiste? ¡Sabíamos que algo andaba mal!

A2

Why didn't you tell us? We knew something was wrong!

En ese momento, solo sabíamos la mitad de la historia.

B1

At that moment, we only knew half the story.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • conocíamos (we were familiar with)
  • entendíamos (we understood)

Antonyms

  • ignorábamos (we were unaware)

Common Collocations

  • sabíamos la verdad – we knew the truth
  • siempre lo sabíamos – we always knew it

we knew how to

Also: we were capable of
VerbA2irregular er
Two children riding small bicycles side-by-side on a sunny path, demonstrating a shared skill.
infinitivesaber
gerundsabiendo
past Participlesabido

📝 In Action

Cuando éramos jóvenes, sabíamos patinar sobre hielo.

A2

When we were young, we knew how to ice skate.

Antes de la clase, no sabíamos usar este programa.

B1

Before the class, we didn't know how to use this program.

Ellos nos enseñaron porque nosotros no sabíamos cocinar.

B2

They taught us because we didn't know how to cook.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • podíamos (we were able to)

Common Collocations

  • sabíamos hacerlo – we knew how to do it
  • sabíamos hablar francés – we knew how to speak French

🔄 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 →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "sabíamos" in Spanish:

we knew→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: sabíamos

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'sabíamos' to describe a continuous state of knowledge?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
saber(to know (infinitive)) — Verb
el saber(knowledge) — Noun
sabiduría(wisdom) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
bebíamosvivíamos
📚 Etymology▼

The verb *saber* comes from the Latin verb *sapere*, which originally meant 'to taste' or 'to be discerning/wise.' Over time, the meaning shifted from 'having taste' to 'having wisdom' and finally to the modern meaning 'to know.'

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

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: saberFrench: savoir

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'sabíamos' and 'supimos'?

'Sabíamos' (imperfect) means 'we knew' as an ongoing state or background fact in the past ('We always knew'). 'Supimos' (preterite) means 'we found out' or 'we learned' at a specific moment in the past ('We found out yesterday').

Is 'sabíamos' considered a regular or irregular conjugation?

The infinitive 'saber' is irregular in many tenses (like the Present and Preterite), but the Imperfect tense ('sabíamos') is actually formed regularly by adding the standard imperfect endings (-íamos) to the stem 'sab-'.