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Conjugation Chart

“Saber” (to know) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Saber”

The Imperfect Tense of saber is used to describe knowledge or abilities you had in the past, or recurring or ongoing situations in the past. For example, Yo sabía hablar español cuando era niño. (I knew how to speak Spanish when I was a child.)

Saber is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the regular pattern for that verb type.

How to Use Saber in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of saber is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions, states, or descriptions in the past.

Knowing a fact or information: For example, Yo sabía que él era un buen estudiante. (I knew that he was a good student.)

Expressing ability or skill: For example, De niño, no sabía nadar. (As a child, I didn’t know how to swim.)

Expressing knowledge or awareness: For example, ¿Sabías que hay una nueva película de terror? (Did you know there’s a new horror movie?)

Expressing flavor or taste: For example, Esta sopa no me sabía a nada. (This soup didn’t taste like anything to me.)

Expressing opinion or judgment (colloquial): For example, No sé, esa idea no me sabía bien. (I don’t know, that idea didn’t seem right to me.)

Real Life Examples of Saber in the Imperfect Tense

Yo sabía que la comida mexicana era deliciosa. (I knew that Mexican food was delicious.)

Ella sabía mucho sobre la cultura latinoamericana. (She knew a lot about Latin American culture.)

Nosotros sabíamos que viajar era una gran experiencia. (We knew that traveling was a great experience.)

Ellos sabían que el español era importante para sus carreras. (They knew that Spanish was important for their careers.)

Tú sabías que la familia es muy importante en Latinoamérica. (You knew that family is very important in Latin America.)

Yo sabía que necesitaba practicar más mi español. (I knew that I needed to practice my Spanish more.)

Ella sabía que la música latina era muy popular en todo el mundo. (She knew that Latin music was very popular all over the world.)

Nosotros sabíamos que la comida callejera era una delicia. (We knew that street food was a delight.)

Ellos sabían que las fiestas latinoamericanas eran muy divertidas. (They knew that Latin American parties were a lot of fun.)

Tú sabías que el español era un idioma muy expresivo. (You knew that Spanish was a very expressive language.)

Yo sabía que el baile era una parte importante de la cultura latina. (I knew that dance was an important part of Latin culture.)

Ella sabía que la gente en Latinoamérica era muy amable y hospitalaria. (She knew that people in Latin America were very kind and hospitable.)

Nosotros sabíamos que el español era un idioma con mucha historia y riqueza. (We knew that Spanish was a language with a lot of history and richness.)

Ellos sabían que el arte latinoamericano era muy colorido y vibrante. (They knew that Latin American art was very colorful and vibrant.)

Tú sabías que el español era un idioma que se hablaba en muchos países. (You knew that Spanish was a language spoken in many countries.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Saber (to know) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.