The Subjunctive Mood of Saber is used to express wishes, doubts, or uncertainty about knowledge or facts, for example: Espero que sepas la respuesta. (I hope you know the answer.)

Saber is an irregular verb in the Subjunctive Mood, meaning its conjugations do not follow a set pattern and must be memorized individually.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Saber (to know) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Saber generally means “to know”, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To know how to do something: for example, Que sepas cocinar bien (That you know how to cook well).

To have knowledge of something: for example, Que sepan la verdad (That they know the truth).

To find out or learn something: for example, Que sepamos qué pasó (That we find out what happened).

To have a taste or flavor (colloquial): for example, Que sepa bien la comida (That the food tastes good).

To know someone in a biblical sense (vulgar): for example, Que la sepas bien (That you “know” her well).

Examples

Examples of Saber in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que sepas cómo llegar al hotel antes de viajar. (It’s important that you know how to get to the hotel before traveling.)

Ojalá que sepan la verdad algún día. (I hope they find out the truth one day.)

Aunque no sepamos qué deparará el futuro, hay que mantenerse positivos. (Even if we don’t know what the future holds, we must stay positive.)

El jefe quiere que todos sepan las nuevas reglas de la empresa. (The boss wants everyone to know the new company rules.)

Es una lástima que no sepas preparar esa receta familiar. (It’s a shame you don’t know how to make that family recipe.)

Mis padres insisten en que sepa cambiar una llanta antes de salir de viaje. (My parents insist that I know how to change a tire before going on a trip.)

Preferiría que no sepan los detalles de mi vida privada. (I’d prefer they didn’t know the details of my private life.)

Tal vez sepamos la verdad cuando se publique la investigación. (Maybe we’ll find out the truth when the investigation is published.)

Es fundamental que sepáis las reglas de seguridad antes de comenzar a trabajar. (It’s essential that you know the safety rules before starting work.)

Dudo que sepan lo que realmente pasó esa noche. (I doubt they know what really happened that night.)

Mamá quiere que sepamos cocinar antes de irnos de casa. (Mom wants us to know how to cook before we leave home.)

Aunque no sepa nadar, me gustaría intentar surfear. (Even though I don’t know how to swim, I’d like to try surfing.)

Es raro que no sepan la dirección después de vivir ahí tanto tiempo. (It’s strange that they don’t know the address after living there for so long.)

Espero que sepas valorar esta oportunidad laboral. (I hope you know how to value this job opportunity.)

Sería bueno que sepan tocar un instrumento musical desde pequeños. (It would be good for them to know how to play a musical instrument from a young age.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Saber (to know) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.