Saber (to know) · Imperfect
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Saber in the Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) is: yo sabía, tú sabías, él/ella/usted sabía, nosotros/as sabíamos, vosotros/as sabíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes sabían. The imperfect of saber keeps the static 'to know' meaning, in contrast with the preterite 'supe' (found out). 'Sabía la respuesta' = 'I already knew the answer'. Saber is fully regular in the imperfect.
| To Know | Saber |
|---|---|
| I used to know | yo sabía |
| you used to know | tú sabías |
| he/she used to know | él/ella/usted sabía |
| we used to know | nosotros/as sabíamos |
| you used to know | vosotros/as sabíais |
| they used to know | ellos/ellas/ustedes sabían |
Saber (to know) in context
Sentences that use saber in the imperfect. Tap each to hear it.
I knew you were going to come.
You knew the song by heart.
My father knew many curious anecdotes.
We knew it was not a good idea.
You knew all the shortcuts of the neighborhood.
The teachers knew who had done the mischief.
Working with the imperfect
The imperfect paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Era de noche" (it was nighttime), "tenía cinco años" (I was five years old), "iba al parque cuando me llamaste" (I was going to the park when you called me). Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect — ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other Spanish verb is regular here, which makes the imperfect one of the easiest tenses to learn.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate saber in the imperfect?
When should I use 'sabía' instead of 'supe'?
Is saber's imperfect irregular?
Practice Saber (To Know) in real conversations
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