The Portuguese verb saber means "to know (facts)". Below are its 7 tenses as tables, with the irregular forms marked, 4 example sentences and answers to 3 common questions. Press play next to a present tense form or an example to hear it.
The present tense of saber is eu sei, tu sabes, ele/ela sabe, nós sabemos, vós sabeis, eles/elas sabem. It is irregular: 1 of its 6 present forms break the regular -er pattern. The tables below cover 7 tenses, from the present to the imperative. Every present form and 4 example sentences have a listen button.
Forms in orange break the regular -er pattern.
| eu | sei (irregular) | |
|---|---|---|
| tu | sabes | |
| ele/ | sabe | |
| nós | sabemos | |
| vós | sabeis | |
| eles/ | sabem |
| eu | soube (irregular) |
|---|---|
| tu | soubeste (irregular) |
| ele/ | soube (irregular) |
| nós | soubemos (irregular) |
| vós | soubestes (irregular) |
| eles/ | souberam (irregular) |
| eu | sabia |
|---|---|
| tu | sabias |
| ele/ | sabia |
| nós | sabíamos |
| vós | sabíeis |
| eles/ | sabiam |
| eu | saberei |
|---|---|
| tu | saberás |
| ele/ | saberá |
| nós | saberemos |
| vós | sabereis |
| eles/ | saberão |
| eu | saberia |
|---|---|
| tu | saberias |
| ele/ | saberia |
| nós | saberíamos |
| vós | saberíeis |
| eles/ | saberiam |
| que eu | saiba (irregular) |
|---|---|
| que tu | saibas (irregular) |
| que ele/ | saiba (irregular) |
| que nós | saibamos (irregular) |
| que vós | saibais (irregular) |
| que eles/ | saibam (irregular) |
| tu | sabe |
|---|---|
| você | saiba (irregular) |
| nós | saibamos (irregular) |
| vós | sabei |
| vocês | saibam (irregular) |
Saber is irregular. The present has sei, and the simple past uses soube, soubeste, soube, soubemos, soubestes, and souberam. The present subjunctive and several imperative forms use saib, as in saiba and saibam.
Lingo7 is an app for reading books in Portuguese with a translation under every sentence and audio, so the forms in these tables come back in context.
Saber is irregular. Its present eu form is sei, and its simple past forms use soub, such as soube and souberam.
The forms are soube, soubeste, soube, soubemos, soubestes, and souberam.
The present subjunctive uses saib throughout: saiba, saibas, saiba, saibamos, saibais, and saibam.