Saber Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The preterite of saber — to know — is the form you need for finished actions in the past. Saber means to know a fact, to know how to do something, and to know information: sé la respuesta, sé nadar, ¿sabes qué hora es? It is different from conocer, which is for people and places. Its present is sé, its preterite supe, its future stem sabr-, its subjunctive sepa. This page gives you the complete preterite table for saber, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ayer yo supe la noticia por la radio.” — “Yesterday I found out the news on the radio”.

Preterite conjugation of saber

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for saber. Saber is an irregular -er verb (irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Preterite indicative — saber

Person Form
yo supe
tú supiste
él/ella/Ud. supo
nosotros/as supimos
vosotros/as supisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. supieron

The gerund of saber is sabiendo and the past participle is sabido. The participle matters here because the preterite is often confused with the perfect tenses — keep them apart.

How the preterite of saber is formed

The preterite of saber does not follow the regular pattern. If saber were regular, the preterite forms would be yo → sabí, tú → sabiste, él/ella/Ud. → sabió, nosotros/as → sabimos, vosotros/as → sabisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → sabieron — but saber breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis and supieron.

The preterite stem here is sup-, which you cannot get from the infinitive by rule — it has to be learnt as part of the verb. The endings then attach to that stem: supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis and supieron. This is the same pattern the verb follows in the imperfect subjunctive, which is built on the preterite third-person plural, so learning the preterite pays twice.

A note on spelling: none of the preterite forms of saber carries a written accent, which is one less thing to memorise — but do not add one by habit. Copy the forms from the table above exactly as written.

When to use the preterite of saber

1. Completed actions at a specific time

Use the preterite for an action that started and finished in the past. For example, with saber: “Ayer yo supe la noticia por la radio.” — “Yesterday I found out the news on the radio”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. A sequence of actions

Use the preterite to list one finished action after another. For example, with saber: “Ella supo el resultado por la mañana.” — “She found out the result in the morning”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. Actions that interrupt an ongoing situation

Use the preterite for the action that breaks into a longer background scene. For example, with saber: “Nosotros supimos que el vuelo se retrasaba.” — “We found out the flight was delayed”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Sudden changes and achievements

Use the preterite for a change of state or something achieved at one moment. For example, with saber: “Ellos supieron la verdad al final.” — “They found out the truth in the end”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Preterite vs imperfect: saber finished, saber in progress

The preterite and the imperfect are the two past tenses, and choosing between them is the hardest decision in Spanish past-tense grammar. The preterite is for what happened and finished; the imperfect is for what was happening, what used to happen, and the background. Compare the pairs below — the preterite form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.

  • Preterite tense: “Ayer yo supe la respuesta.” — “Yesterday I knew the answer.”

  • Imperfect: “De niño, yo sabía la respuesta.” — “As a child, I used to know the answer.”

  • Preterite tense: “Ella supo la respuesta a las ocho.” — “She knew the answer at eight.”

  • Imperfect: “Ella sabía la respuesta cada día.” — “She used to know the answer every day.”

  • Preterite tense: “Nosotros supimos la respuesta el sábado.” — “We knew the answer on Saturday.”

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros sabíamos la respuesta todos los sábados.” — “We used to know the answer every Saturday.”

Example sentences: saber in the preterite

Six sentences using only the preterite of saber, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Ayer yo supe la noticia por la radio.” — “Yesterday I found out the news on the radio.”
  • “Ella supo el resultado por la mañana.” — “She found out the result in the morning.”
  • “Nosotros supimos que el vuelo se retrasaba.” — “We found out the flight was delayed.”
  • “Ellos supieron la verdad al final.” — “They found out the truth in the end.”
  • “¿Tú supiste algo del examen?” — “Did you find out anything about the exam?”
  • “El director supo lo del accidente ayer.” — “The director found out about the accident yesterday.”

Common mistakes with saber in the preterite

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo sabo la respuesta.

Right: Yo supe la respuesta.

The yo form is sé, with an accent — never sabo.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Yo conozco la respuesta — wrong verb.

Right: Yo supe la respuesta.

Facts and information take saber; conocer is for people and places you have met or visited.

Quiz: saber in the preterite

Eight questions on the preterite of saber. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of saber in the preterite?

  • A) supe
  • B) supiste
  • C) supo
  • D) supimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the preterite is supe.

2. What is the tú form of saber in the preterite?

  • A) supe
  • B) supo
  • C) supimos
  • D) supiste

Answer: D — The tú form in the preterite is supiste.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of saber in the preterite?

  • A) supiste
  • B) supimos
  • C) supo
  • D) supe

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite is supo.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of saber in the preterite?

  • A) supo
  • B) supimos
  • C) supe
  • D) supiste

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the preterite is supimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Ayer yo ___ la noticia por la radio.” (Yesterday I found out the news on the radio.)

  • A) supe
  • B) supiste
  • C) supo
  • D) supimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs supe.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ el resultado por la mañana.” (She found out the result in the morning.)

  • A) supe
  • B) supiste
  • C) supimos
  • D) supo

Answer: D — The sentence needs supo.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo sabo la respuesta.
  • B) Yo supe la respuesta.

Answer: B — The yo form is sé, with an accent — never sabo.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo supe la respuesta.
  • B) Yo conozco la respuesta — wrong verb.

Answer: A — Facts and information take saber; conocer is for people and places you have met or visited.

Frequently asked questions

Is saber regular in the preterite?

No. saber is irregular in the preterite: the forms are supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis and supieron. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of saber in the preterite?

It is supe. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for saber it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the preterite of saber instead of the present?

Use the preterite when the action is finished and tied to a specific moment — yesterday, last week, at eight o’clock. If the action was ongoing, habitual, or just background to another event, the imperfect is the right choice, not the preterite.

How can I remember the preterite forms of saber?

Say the six forms aloud in order — supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieron — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for saber to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo sé…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo supe…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo sabré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

Related pages