Saber Conjugation in Portuguese
saber means “to know” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 12 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of saber — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.” — “I know the answer.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: saber
- English: to know
- Verb type: Irregular -er verb
- Irregular in: presente, pretérito perfeito, pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples, presente do subjuntivo, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo, futuro do subjuntivo, imperativo afirmativo, imperativo negativo
- Gerund: sabendo
- Present participle: sabente
- Past participle: sabido
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -er verbs; pattern er in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read saber in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about saber
- It is irregular in 8 tense(s): 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 instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle sabido. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is sabendo, the present participle is sabente and the past participle is sabido: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for saber. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | sei |
| tu | sabes |
| ele/ela | sabe |
| nós | sabemos |
| vós | sabeis |
| eles/elas | sabem |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.” — “I know the answer”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | soube |
| tu | soubeste |
| ele/ela | soube |
| nós | soubemos |
| vós | soubestes |
| eles/elas | souberam |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” — “I knew the answer”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | sabia |
| tu | sabias |
| ele/ela | sabia |
| nós | sabíamos |
| vós | sabíeis |
| eles/elas | sabiam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu sabia a resposta antigamente.” — “I used to know the answer”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | soubera |
| tu | souberas |
| ele/ela | soubera |
| nós | soubéramos |
| vós | soubéreis |
| eles/elas | souberam |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu soubera a resposta antes do jantar.” — “I had known the answer”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | saberei |
| tu | saberás |
| ele/ela | saberá |
| nós | saberemos |
| vós | sabereis |
| eles/elas | saberão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu saberei a resposta amanhã.” — “I will know the answer”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | saberia |
| tu | saberias |
| ele/ela | saberia |
| nós | saberíamos |
| vós | saberíeis |
| eles/elas | saberiam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu saberia a resposta um dia.” — “I would know the answer”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho sabido |
| tu | tens sabido |
| ele/ela | tem sabido |
| nós | temos sabido |
| vós | tendes sabido |
| eles/elas | têm sabido |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem sabido a resposta esta semana.” — “He has known the answer”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha sabido |
| tu | tinhas sabido |
| ele/ela | tinha sabido |
| nós | tínhamos sabido |
| vós | tínheis sabido |
| eles/elas | tinham sabido |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha sabido a resposta antes do jantar.” — “I had known the answer”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei sabido |
| tu | terás sabido |
| ele/ela | terá sabido |
| nós | teremos sabido |
| vós | tereis sabido |
| eles/elas | terão sabido |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei sabido a resposta até amanhã.” — “I will have known the answer”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria sabido |
| tu | terias sabido |
| ele/ela | teria sabido |
| nós | teríamos sabido |
| vós | teríeis sabido |
| eles/elas | teriam sabido |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria sabido a resposta ontem.” — “I would have known the answer”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | saiba |
| tu | saibas |
| ele/ela | saiba |
| nós | saibamos |
| vós | saibais |
| eles/elas | saibam |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu saiba a resposta.” — “It is important that I know the answer”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | soubesse |
| tu | soubesses |
| ele/ela | soubesse |
| nós | soubéssemos |
| vós | soubésseis |
| eles/elas | soubessem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu soubesse a resposta.” — “It was important that I know the answer”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | souber |
| tu | souberes |
| ele/ela | souber |
| nós | soubermos |
| vós | souberdes |
| eles/elas | souberem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu souber a resposta, é bom.” — “If I know the answer, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sabe |
| ele/ela | saiba |
| nós | saibamos |
| vós | sabei |
| eles/elas | saibam |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Sabe a resposta!” — “Know the answer!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não saibas |
| ele/ela | não saiba |
| nós | não saibamos |
| vós | não saibais |
| eles/elas | não saibam |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não saibas a resposta.” — “Do not know the answer.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha sabido |
| tu | tenhas sabido |
| ele/ela | tenha sabido |
| nós | tenhamos sabido |
| vós | tenhais sabido |
| eles/elas | tenham sabido |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha sabido a resposta.” — “It is important that I have known the answer”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse sabido |
| tu | tivesses sabido |
| ele/ela | tivesse sabido |
| nós | tivéssemos sabido |
| vós | tivésseis sabido |
| eles/elas | tivessem sabido |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse sabido a resposta.” — “It was important that I had known the answer”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver sabido |
| tu | tiveres sabido |
| ele/ela | tiver sabido |
| nós | tivermos sabido |
| vós | tiverdes sabido |
| eles/elas | tiverem sabido |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver sabido a resposta, é bom.” — “If I have known the answer, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | sabendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Sabendo a resposta, aprendo muito.” — “While knowing the answer, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | sabente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle sabente is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet sabente more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | sabido |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho sabido a resposta esta semana.” — “I have known the answer.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with saber, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.” — “I know the answer”
- “Tu soubeste a resposta ontem.” — “You knew the answer”
- “Ele sabia a resposta antigamente.” — “He used to know the answer”
- “Eu saberei a resposta amanhã.” — “I will know the answer”
- “Tu saberias a resposta um dia.” — “You would know the answer”
- “Ele tem sabido a resposta esta semana.” — “He has known the answer”
- “Eu tinha sabido a resposta antes do jantar.” — “I had known the answer”
- “Tu terás sabido a resposta até amanhã.” — “You will have known the answer”
- “É importante que eu saiba a resposta.” — “It is important that I know the answer”
- “Sabe a resposta!” — “Know the answer!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu sabes a resposta.”
✓ Right: “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.”
sabes is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with sei.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito soube for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou sabido a resposta.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho sabido a resposta esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of saber is formed with ter plus the past participle sabido: the eu form is tenho sabido. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu sei a resposta.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu saiba a resposta.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use saiba here, not the indicative sei.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho sabendo a resposta.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho sabido a resposta esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle sabido, not the gerund sabendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on saber. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of saber in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) sabes
- B) sei
- C) sabe
- D) sabemos
What is the ele/ela form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) soubeste
- B) soubemos
- C) soube
- D) soubestes
What is the nós form of saber in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) sabia
- B) sabias
- C) sabíeis
- D) sabíamos
What is the tu form of saber in the Futuro do presente?
- A) saberás
- B) saberei
- C) saberá
- D) saberemos
What is the eu form of saber in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) saberias
- B) saberia
- C) saberíamos
- D) saberíeis
What is the ele/ela form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho sabido
- B) tens sabido
- C) tem sabido
- D) temos sabido
What is the ele/ela form of saber in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) saibas
- B) saibamos
- C) saibais
- D) saiba
What is the eu form of saber in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) soubesse
- B) soubesses
- C) soubéssemos
- D) soubésseis
What is the gerund of saber?
- A) sabido
- B) sabendo
- C) saber
- D) sei
What does saber mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to know
- D) —
Answer key
- B) sei — the correct form is sei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) soube — the correct form is soube. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sabíamos — the correct form is sabíamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) saberás — the correct form is saberás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) saberia — the correct form is saberia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem sabido — the correct form is tem sabido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) saiba — the correct form is saiba. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) soubesse — the correct form is soubesse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) sabendo — the correct form is sabendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is saber regular or irregular?
saber is irregular: it 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. The gerund is sabendo and the past participle is sabido.
What are the gerund and past participle of saber?
The gerund is sabendo — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is sabido — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho sabido.
Which auxiliary does saber take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
saber takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho sabido. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle sabido.
How do I say “I know” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu sei a resposta todos os dias.” — “I know the answer” The eu form of the present is sei, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of saber — every tense of saber in one place.
- Saber in the pretérito perfeito tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Saber examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese pretérito perfeito tense guide — the full guide to the pretérito perfeito tense in Portuguese.
- Portuguese irregular verbs — every common irregular Portuguese verb, grouped by pattern.
- Ser conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Ter conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise saber with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise saber with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise saber with the interactive tool.