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Conjugation Chart of “Saber” (to know) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Saber”

The preterite of saber is used to express when you found out or realized something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I found out the truth yesterday” – “Supe la verdad ayer.”

This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. The stem changes to ‘sup-‘ throughout all conjugations, making it essential to learn these forms separately.

How to Use Saber in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of saber indicates the moment of finding out or realizing something.

To find out/learn: Used for the moment of discovery, for example Supe la verdad ayer (I found out the truth yesterday), or Supimos la noticia esta mañana (We learned the news this morning).

To realize: Marks the exact moment of realization, for example Lo supo inmediatamente (She knew it immediately).

Real Life Examples of Saber in the Preterite (Past) Tense

No supe qué decir en ese momento. (I didn’t know what to say at that moment.)

¿Cuándo supiste la verdad? (When did you find out the truth?)

Supimos la noticia ayer. (We learned the news yesterday.)

Nunca supo lo que realmente pasó. (He never knew what really happened.)

Por fin supieron el resultado. (They finally learned the result.)

Supe inmediatamente que algo andaba mal. (I knew immediately that something was wrong.)

¿Cómo supiste dónde encontrarme? (How did you know where to find me?)

Lo supimos por las noticias. (We found out through the news.)

Nadie supo responder la pregunta. (Nobody knew how to answer the question.)

Supieron manejarlo muy bien. (They knew how to handle it very well.)

Cuando lo supe, era demasiado tarde. (When I found out, it was too late.)

¿Supiste algo de Juan? (Did you hear anything about Juan?)

Por fin supo la razón. (He finally knew the reason.)

Supimos de su llegada esta mañana. (We learned of their arrival this morning.)

Nunca supieron quién fue. (They never knew who it was.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Saber (to know) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.