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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 the moment of finding out or realizing something in the past. For example, you might say “I found out about the news this morning,” indicating the specific moment when you learned something.

This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. The stem changes completely to ‘sup-‘ before adding the preterite endings, making it one of the more distinctive irregular verbs to remember.

How to Use Saber in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of saber expresses the moment of finding out or realizing something in the past.

To find out/learn: Describes the moment of learning information, for example Supe la verdad ayer (I found out the truth yesterday) or Supimos que se había casado (We learned that he/she had gotten married).

To realize: Used for moment of realization, for example En ese momento supe que algo andaba mal (At that moment I realized something was wrong).

To manage/succeed: Indicates succeeding in doing something, for example No supe qué decir (I didn’t know what to say).

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

Supe la verdad ayer. (I found out the truth yesterday.)

¿Cuándo supiste la noticia? (When did you find out the news?)

Ella supo del accidente inmediatamente. (She learned about the accident immediately.)

Supimos los resultados esta mañana. (We found out the results this morning.)

Todos supieron del compromiso. (Everyone found out about the engagement.)

Nunca supe su nombre real. (I never knew their real name.)

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

El jefe supo del problema tarde. (The boss found out about the problem late.)

Supimos de su llegada por email. (We learned of their arrival by email.)

Los estudiantes supieron sus notas. (The students found out their grades.)

Por fin supe la respuesta. (I finally knew the answer.)

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

Nadie supo qué pasó. (Nobody knew what happened.)

Supimos del cambio de planes. (We found out about the change of plans.)

Mis padres supieron de mi decisión. (My parents learned about my decision.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.