Learn Romance Languages Verb Conjuations Together - French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese Vocabulary Side-by-Side

Romance Languages Verbs: Conjugations of Know [Facts] (savoir / sapere / saber / saber / saber)

Learn French, Italian, Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese together

Click a button to hide or show that language:

Click in the first row and drag left or right to change the order of the columns.

English	French	Italian	Catalan	Spanish	Portuguese
Infinitive: to know (facts)	savoir	sapere	saber	saber	saber

Present: know(s)	sais	so	sé	sé	sei
	sais	sai	saps	sabes	sabes
	sait	sa	sap	sabe	sabe
	savons	sappiamo	sabem	sabemos	sabemos
	savez	sapete	sabeu	sabéis	sabeis
	savent	sanno	saben	saben	sabem

Imperfect: knew/used to know	savais	sapevo	sabia	sabía	sabia
	savais	sapevi	sabies	sabías	sabias
	savait	sapeva	sabia	sabía	sabia
	savions	sapevamo	sabíem	sabíamos	sabíamos
	saviez	sapevate	sabíeu	sabíais	sabíeis
	savaient	sapevano	sabien	sabían	sabiam

Preterite: knew	sus	seppi	sabí	supe	soube
(rare in French or Italian speech)	sus	sapesti	saberes	supiste	soubeste
(alternative Catalan below)	sut	seppe	sabé	supo	soube
	sûmes	sapemmo	sabérem	supimos	soubemos
	sûtes	sapeste	sabéreu	supisteis	soubestes
	surent	seppero	saberen	supieron	souberam

Future: will know	saurai	saprò	sabré	sabré	saberei
	sauras	saprai	sabràs	sabrás	saberás
	saura	saprà	sabrà	sabrá	saberá
	saurons	sapremo	sabrem	sabremos	saberemos
	saurez	saprete	sabreu	sabréis	sabereis
	sauront	sapranno	sabran	sabrán	saberão

Conditional: would know	saurais	saprei	sabria	sabría	saberia
	saurais	sapresti	sabries	sabrías	saberias
	saurait	saprebbe	sabria	sabría	saberia
	saurions	sapremmo	sabríem	sabríamos	saberíamos
	sauriez	sapreste	sabríeu	sabríais	saberíeis
	sauraient	saprebbero	sabrien	sabrían	saberiam

Present Subjunctive: know(s)	sache	sappia	sàpiga	sepa	saiba
	saches	sappia	sàpigues	sepas	saibas
	sache	sappia	sàpiga	sepa	saiba
	sachions	sappiamo	sapiguem	sepamos	saibamos
	sachiez	sappiate	sapigueu	sepáis	saibais
	sachent	sappiano	sàpiguen	sepan	saibam

Imperfect Subjunctive: knew	susse	sapessi	sabés	supiera	soubesse
(rare in French speech)	susses	sapessi	sabessis	supieras	soubesses
(alternative Spanish below)	sût	sapesse	sabés	supiera	soubesse
	sussions	sapessimo	sabéssim	supiéramos	soubéssemos
	sussiez	sapeste	sabéssiu	supierais	soubésseis
	sussent	sapessero	sabessin	supieran	soubessem

Affirmative Imperative: know
Singular familiar you	sache	sappi	sàpigues	sabe	sabe
Singular formal you	sachez	sappia	sàpiga	sepa	saiba
Let's...	sachons	sappiamo	sapiguem	sepamos	saibamos
Plural familiar you	sachez	sapete	sapigueu	sabed	sabei
Plural formal you	sachez	sappiano	sàpiguen	sepan	saibam

Negative Imperative: don't know
Singular familiar you	ne sache pas	non sapere	no sàpigues	no sepas	não saibas
Singular formal you	ne sachez pas	non sappia	no sàpiga	no sepa	não saiba
Let's not...	ne sachons pas	non sappiamo	no sapiguem	no sepamos	não saibamos
Plural familiar you	ne sachez pas	non sapete	no sapigueu	no sepáis	não saibais
Plural formal you	ne sachez pas	non sanno	no sàpiguen	no sepan	não saibam

Gerund: knowing Present Participle: knowing	en savant savant	sapendo sapiente	sabent	sabiendo	sabendo
Past Participle: known	su	saputo	sabut	sabido	sabido

Auxiliary verb used in perfect tenses	avoir	avere	haver	haber	ter

The periphrastic past in Catalan is an alternative to the preterite. It is formed by using anar as an auxiliary verb followed by the infinitive.

vaig saber
vas saber
va saber
vam saber
vau saber
van saber

There is an alternative form of the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish, which is more similar to Portuguese. Simply replace -ra- with -se- for all conjugations:

supiera / supiese
supieras / supieses
supiera / supiese
supiéramos / supiésemos
supierais / supieseis
supieran / supiesen

The future subjunctive is only used in formal or literary Spanish, but it is easy to conjugate since it is nearly identical to the imperfect subjunctive forms. The future subjunctive in Portuguese is very common and the same endings are used for the personal infinitive (see below).

Spanish	Portuguese
supiere	souber
supieres	souberes
supiere	souber
supiéremos	soubermos
supiereis	souberdes
supieren	souberem

The personal infinitive in Portuguese uses the infinitive as the stem + the endings of the future subjunctive.

saber
saberes
saber
sabermos
saberdes
saberem

There is an alternative form of the past perfect in Portugueuse which only uses one word rather than an auxiliary verb + past participle. These conjugations are quite similar to the imperfect subjunctive conjugations using -ra- in Spanish. However, this simple form is only used in formal or literary Portuguese. (Note that the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish using -ra- can also be used in formal or literary language as an alternative to the compound past perfect.)

soubera
souberas
soubera
soubéramos
soubéreis
souberam