Savoir Conjugation in French
savoir means “to know” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 8 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about knowing speak French, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of savoir — 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: “Je sais parler français tous les jours.” — “I know speak French every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: savoir
- English: to know
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle
- Gerund: sachant
- Past participle: su
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -ir verbs; pattern ir2 in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for savoir, 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 savoir in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about savoir
- It is irregular in 10 tense(s): present, passe-simple, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use avoir: the present perfect is formed with avoir in the present plus the past participle su. 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 sachant and the participle is su: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two 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 savoir. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sais |
| tu | sais |
| il/elle | sait |
| nous | savons |
| vous | savez |
| ils/elles | savent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Je sais la réponse tous les jours.” — “I know the answer every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sus |
| tu | sus |
| il/elle | sut |
| nous | sûmes |
| vous | sûtes |
| ils/elles | surent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu sus la réponse hier.” — “You knew the answer yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | savais |
| tu | savais |
| il/elle | savait |
| nous | savions |
| vous | saviez |
| ils/elles | savaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il savait la réponse autrefois.” — “He used to know the answer in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | saurai |
| tu | sauras |
| il/elle | saura |
| nous | saurons |
| vous | saurez |
| ils/elles | sauront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Je saurai la réponse demain.” — “I will know the answer tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | saurais |
| tu | saurais |
| il/elle | saurait |
| nous | saurions |
| vous | sauriez |
| ils/elles | sauraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu saurais la réponse un jour.” — “You would know the answer one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai su |
| tu | as su |
| il/elle | a su |
| nous | avons su |
| vous | avez su |
| ils/elles | ont su |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il a su la réponse cette semaine.” — “He has known the answer this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais su |
| tu | avais su |
| il/elle | avait su |
| nous | avions su |
| vous | aviez su |
| ils/elles | avaient su |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais su la réponse avant la fête.” — “I had known the answer before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai su |
| tu | auras su |
| il/elle | aura su |
| nous | aurons su |
| vous | aurez su |
| ils/elles | auront su |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras su la réponse pour demain.” — “You will have known the answer by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais su |
| tu | aurais su |
| il/elle | aurait su |
| nous | aurions su |
| vous | auriez su |
| ils/elles | auraient su |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait su la réponse hier.” — “He would have known the answer yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sache |
| tu | saches |
| il/elle | sache |
| nous | sachions |
| vous | sachiez |
| ils/elles | sachent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que je sache la réponse.” — “It is important that I know the answer.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | susse |
| tu | susses |
| il/elle | sût |
| nous | sussions |
| vous | sussiez |
| ils/elles | sussent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que tu susses la réponse.” — “It is important that you know the answer.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sache |
| nous | sachons |
| vous | sachez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Sache la réponse !” — “Know the answer!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sache |
| nous | sachons |
| vous | sachez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With savoir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ne sache pas la réponse.” — “Do not know the answer.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en sachant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En sachant parler français, je passe un bon moment.” — “While knowing speak French, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | su |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai su parler français cette semaine.” — “I have known speak French this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with savoir, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je sais parler français tous les jours.” — “I know speak French every day.”
- “Tu sus la réponse hier.” — “You knew the answer yesterday.”
- “Il savait nager depuis longtemps autrefois.” — “He used to know how to swim for a long time in the past.”
- “Je saurai parler français demain.” — “I will know speak French tomorrow.”
- “Tu saurais la réponse un jour.” — “You would know the answer one day.”
- “Il a su nager depuis longtemps cette semaine.” — “He has known how to swim for a long time this week.”
- “J'avais su parler français avant la fête.” — “I had known speak French before the party.”
- “Tu auras su la réponse pour demain.” — “You will have known the answer by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il sache nager depuis longtemps.” — “It is important that he know how to swim for a long time.”
- “Sache parler français !” — “Know speak French!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je savoir parler français.”
✓ Right: “Je sais parler français.”
The infinitive savoir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form sais.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je savent parler français.”
✓ Right: “Je sais parler français.”
savent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with sais.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je sus parler français tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je sais parler français tous les jours.”
The passé simple sus describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present sais.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je sais parler français.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je sache parler français.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use sache here, not the indicative sais.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis su parler français.”
✓ Right: “Je ai su parler français.”
The passé composé of savoir is formed with avoir plus the past participle su: the je form is ai su. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “sais” written without its accent
✓ Right: “sais”
Accents are part of the spelling in French. Write the form exactly as it appears in the table, accent included, or it looks like a different word.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on savoir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of savoir in the Present indicative?
- A) sais
- B) sait
- C) savons
- D) savez
What is the il/elle form of savoir in the Passé simple?
- A) sut
- B) sus
- C) sûmes
- D) sûtes
What is the nous form of savoir in the Imperfect?
- A) saviez
- B) savions
- C) savais
- D) savait
What is the tu form of savoir in the Future?
- A) saurons
- B) sauras
- C) saurai
- D) saura
What is the je form of savoir in the Conditional?
- A) saurais
- B) saurait
- C) saurions
- D) sauriez
What is the il/elle form of savoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ai su
- B) as su
- C) avons su
- D) a su
What is the il/elle form of savoir in the Present subjunctive?
- A) sache
- B) saches
- C) sachions
- D) sachiez
What is the je form of savoir in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) sussions
- B) susse
- C) susses
- D) sût
What is the gerund of savoir?
- A) en venant
- B) en voyant
- C) en prenant
- D) en sachant
What does savoir mean in English?
- A) to see
- B) to take
- C) to know
- D) to come
Answer key
- A) sais — the je form of savoir in the Present indicative is sais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) sut — the il/elle form of savoir in the Passé simple is sut. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) savions — the nous form of savoir in the Imperfect is savions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) sauras — the tu form of savoir in the Future is sauras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) saurais — the je form of savoir in the Conditional is saurais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) a su — the il/elle form of savoir in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a su. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) sache — the il/elle form of savoir in the Present subjunctive is sache. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) susse — the je form of savoir in the Imperfect subjunctive is susse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) en sachant — the gerund of savoir is en sachant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to know — savoir means “to know” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does savoir mean in English?
savoir means “to know”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is savoir regular or irregular?
savoir is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle. The gerund is sachant and the past participle is su.
What are the gerund and past participle of savoir?
The gerund is sachant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is su — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai su.
Which auxiliary does savoir take in the passé composé?
savoir takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai su. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle su.
How do I say “I know” in French?
Say “Je sais parler français tous les jours.” — “I know speak French every day.” The je form of the present is sais, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of savoir — every tense of savoir in one place.
- Savoir in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Savoir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Venir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Voir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Prendre conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise savoir with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise savoir with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise savoir with the interactive tool.