Saber Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

saber — to know — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a irregular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to know a fact, or to know how to do something, and it is different from conhecer, which means to know a person or a place. Its present is irregular — sei, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabeis, sabem — and its pretérito perfeito is soube, so learn the eu and ele forms carefully. On this page you will find saber in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the saber conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the saber pretérito perfeito tense page.

Example sentences with saber

In the present tense

  • “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.” — “I know the answer”
  • “Tu sabes a resposta todos os dias.” — “You know the answer”
  • “Ele sabe a resposta todos os dias.” — “He knows the answer”
  • “Nós sabemos a resposta todos os dias.” — “We know the answer”
  • “Vós sabeis a resposta todos os dias.” — “You know the answer”
  • “Eles sabem a resposta todos os dias.” — “They know the answer”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” — “I knew the answer”
  • “Tu soubeste a resposta ontem.” — “You knew the answer”
  • “Ele soube a resposta ontem.” — “He knew the answer”
  • “Nós soubemos a resposta ontem.” — “We knew the answer”
  • “Vós soubestes a resposta ontem.” — “You knew the answer”
  • “Eles souberam a resposta ontem.” — “They knew the answer”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu sabia a resposta antigamente.” — “I used to know the answer”
  • “Tu saberás a resposta amanhã.” — “You will know the answer”
  • “Ele saberia a resposta um dia.” — “He would know the answer”
  • “É importante que nós saibamos a resposta.” — “It is important that we know the answer”
  • “Sabe a resposta!” — “Know the answer!”

How saber is used

The first thing to know about saber is its core meaning: to know. It means to know a fact, or to know how to do something, and it is different from conhecer, which means to know a person or a place. Its present is irregular — sei, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabeis, sabem — and its pretérito perfeito is soube, so learn the eu and ele forms carefully. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company saber keeps. The present eu form is sei, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho sabido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what saber does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need sei, never saber. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho sabido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle sabido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Saber in context

Eu sei a resposta todos os dias. Tu sabes a resposta todos os dias. Ele sabe a resposta todos os dias. Nós sabemos a resposta todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of saber is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — sei, sabes, sabe, sabemos — while the meaning stays the same: to know. Eu soube a resposta ontem. Tu soubeste a resposta ontem. Ele soube a resposta ontem. Nós soubemos a resposta ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of saber appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to know — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu saber a resposta.”

✓ Right: “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.”

The infinitive saber never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form sei.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu sabes a resposta.”

✓ Right: “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.”

sabes is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is sei — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu sei a resposta ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito soube here, not the present sei.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou sabido a resposta.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho sabido a resposta esta semana.”

saber takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho sabido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on saber across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of saber in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) sei
    • B) sabes
    • C) sabe
    • D) sabemos

  2. What is the eu form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens sabido
    • B) tem sabido
    • C) tenho sabido
    • D) temos sabido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of saber in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) sabias
    • B) sabíamos
    • C) sabíeis
    • D) sabia

  4. What is the nós form of saber in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) saberemos
    • B) saberei
    • C) saberás
    • D) saberá

  5. What is the tu form of saber in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) saberia
    • B) saberias
    • C) saberíamos
    • D) saberíeis

  6. What is the eu form of saber in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) souberas
    • B) soubéramos
    • C) soubera
    • D) soubéreis

  7. What is the nós form of saber in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) saiba
    • B) saibas
    • C) saibais
    • D) saibamos

  8. What is the gerund of saber?

    • A) sabendo
    • B) sabido
    • C) saber
    • D) sei

  9. What is the past participle of saber?

    • A) sabendo
    • B) sabido
    • C) saber
    • D) sei

  10. What does saber mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to know
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) sabes — the correct form is sabes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho sabido — the correct form is tenho sabido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) sabia — the correct form is sabia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) saberemos — the correct form is saberemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) saberias — the correct form is saberias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) soubera — the correct form is soubera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) saibamos — the correct form is saibamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) sabendo — the correct form is sabendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) sabido — the correct form is sabido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to know — the correct form is to know. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does saber mean in English?

saber means “to know”. You use it whenever you talk about to know in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is saber regular or irregular?

saber is irregular. saber is irregular in presente, pretérito perfeito, pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples, presente do subjuntivo, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo, futuro do subjuntivo, imperativo afirmativo, imperativo negativo — learn those forms as a set.

What are the gerund and past participle of saber?

The gerund is sabendo and the past participle is sabido. The perfect tenses use ter + sabido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of saber?

On the saber conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The saber pretérito perfeito tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for saber, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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