Savoir (to know) · Passé Composé
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Savoir in the French passé composé is: j'ai su, tu as su, il/elle/on a su, nous avons su, vous avez su, ils/elles ont su. The passé composé of savoir uses AVOIR + 'su'. 'J'ai su la nouvelle' often means 'I found out the news' rather than 'I knew it' — savoir is a meaning-shift preterite verb in French, just like Spanish 'supe'.
| To Know | Savoir |
|---|---|
| I knew | j'ai su |
| you knew | tu as su |
| he/she knew | il/elle/on a su |
| we knew | nous avons su |
| you knew | vous avez su |
| they knew | ils/elles ont su |
Savoir (to know) in context
Sentences that use savoir in the passé composé. Tap each to hear it.
I found out the news this morning.
Did you know from the beginning?
He knew how to handle the situation.
We found out the truth too late.
You knew how to convince the client.
They knew how to keep the secret.
Working with the passé composé
The passé composé is French's dominant past tense — used in almost every spoken past reference ("j'ai mangé" = "I ate" or "I have eaten"). It's a COMPOUND tense formed with an auxiliary (avoir for most verbs, être for ~17 motion/state verbs and all reflexives) plus a past participle. Two things to memorise: which verbs take être (aller, venir, partir, sortir, arriver, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, devenir, retourner, entrer, rentrer, passer, revenir — the so-called "house of être"), and agreement rules (être verbs agree with the subject; avoir verbs only agree with a preceding direct object).
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the passé composé of savoir?
Why does 'j'ai su' mean 'I found out'?
Should I use 'j'ai su' or 'je savais'?
Practice Savoir (To Know) in real conversations
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