The Quest for Knowledge: A Comprehensive Guide to the Conjugation of the Portuguese Verb 'Saber'

In the vast realm of the Portuguese language, the verb “saber” (to know) stands as a beacon of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. “Saber” empowers us to explore the depths of knowledge and communicate our understanding to others. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the conjugation of “saber” across various tenses and moods, accompanied by example sentences to illustrate their practical use. By mastering the conjugations of “saber,” you will unlock the ability to express knowledge, expertise, and awareness in Portuguese.

• Present Indicative Tense
• Imperfect Indicative Tense
• Preterite Indicative Tense
• Future Indicative Tense
• Conditional Mood
• Subjunctive Mood
  • Present Subjunctive Tense
  • Imperfect Subjunctive Tense
• Imperative Mood
• Conclusion

Present Indicative Tense

1. Eu sei - I know
   • Eu sei falar inglês fluentemente. (I know how to speak English fluently.)
2. Tu sabes - You know (informal singular)
   • Tu sabes a resposta para essa pergunta? (Do you know the answer to this question?)
3. Ele/Ela/Você sabe - He/She/You know (formal singular)
   • Ele sabe tocar violão muito bem. (He knows how to play the guitar very well.)
4. Nós sabemos - We know
   • Nós sabemos onde encontrar as melhores praias. (We know where to find the best beaches.)
5. Vós sabeis - You know (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós sabeis o caminho para o centro da cidade? (Do you know the way to the city center?)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês sabem - They/You know (plural)
   • Eles sabem muito sobre história antiga. (They know a lot about ancient history.)

Imperfect Indicative Tense

1. Eu sabia - I knew
   • Eu sabia como resolver esse problema. (I knew how to solve that problem.)
2. Tu sabias - You knew (informal singular)
   • Tu sabias todas as respostas do teste. (You knew all the answers on the test.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você sabia - He/She/You knew (formal singular)
   • Ele sabia onde encontrar o melhor restaurante da cidade. (He knew where to find the best restaurant in town.)
4. Nós sabíamos - We knew
   • Nós sabíamos o resultado antes mesmo de começar. (We knew the outcome before it even started.)
5. Vós sabíeis - You knew (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós sabíeis como lidar com essa situação. (You knew how to handle that situation.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês sabiam - They/You knew (plural)
   • Eles sabiam todos os detalhes do plano. (They knew all the details of the plan.)

Preterite Indicative Tense

1. Eu soube - I knew
   • Eu soube da notícia ontem à noite. (I found out about the news last night.)
2. Tu soubeste - You knew (informal singular)
   • Tu soubeste resolver o enigma rapidamente. (You knew how to solve the puzzle quickly.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você soube - He/She/You knew (formal singular)
   • Ele soube a resposta para a pergunta difícil. (He knew the answer to the difficult question.)
4. Nós soubemos - We knew
   • Nós soubemos que ela tinha se mudado para outra cidade. (We knew that she had moved to another city.)
5. Vós soubestes - You knew (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós soubestes a solução para o problema complexo. (You knew the solution to the complex problem.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês souberam - They/You knew (plural)
   • Eles souberam a verdade sobre o incidente. (They knew the truth about the incident.)

Future Indicative Tense

1. Eu saberei - I will know
   • Eu saberei o resultado do exame em breve. (I will know the exam result soon.)
2. Tu saberás - You will know (informal singular)
   • Tu saberás se foi aceito na universidade em algumas semanas. (You will know if you got accepted to the university in a few weeks.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você saberá - He/She/You will know (formal singular)
   • Ele saberá como resolver esse problema no futuro. (He will know how to solve that problem in the future.)
4. Nós saberemos - We will know
   • Nós saberemos se o projeto foi aprovado em breve. (We will know if the project was approved soon.)
5. Vós sabereis - You will know (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós sabereis quando chegar a hora certa. (You will know when the right time comes.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês saberão - They/You will know (plural)
   • Eles saberão as respostas para as perguntas difíceis. (They will know the answers to the difficult questions.)

Conditional Mood

1. Eu saberia - I would know
   • Eu saberia como lidar com essa situação se estivesse no seu lugar. (I would know how to handle that situation if I were in your place.)
2. Tu saberias - You would know (informal singular)
   • Tu saberias a melhor forma de resolver esse problema. (You would know the best way to solve that problem.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você saberia - He/She/You would know (formal singular)
   • Ele saberia o que fazer nessa situação complicada. (He would know what to do in this complicated situation.)
4. Nós saberíamos - We would know
   • Nós saberíamos a resposta se tivéssemos mais informações. (We would know the answer if we had more information.)
5. Vós saberíeis - You would know (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós saberíeis como evitar esse tipo de problema no futuro. (You would know how to avoid this kind of problem in the future.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês saberiam - They/You would know (plural)
   • Eles saberiam como aproveitar ao máximo essa oportunidade. (They would know how to make the most of this opportunity.)

Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive Tense

1. Que eu saiba - That I know
   • É importante que eu saiba as regras do jogo antes de começar. (It is important that I know the rules of the game before starting.)
2. Que tu saibas - That you know (informal singular)
   • Espero que tu saibas a resposta para essa pergunta. (I hope you know the answer to this question.)
3. Que ele/ela/você saiba - That he/she/you know (formal singular)
   • É essencial que ele saiba como lidar com essa situação. (It is essential that he knows how to handle this situation.)
4. Que nós saibamos - That we know
   • É fundamental que nós saibamos os fatos antes de tomar uma decisão. (It is crucial that we know the facts before making a decision.)
5. Que vós saibais - That you know (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Não é justo que vós saibais a resposta e não compartilheis. (It is not fair that you know the answer and don’t share it.)
6. Que eles/elas/vocês saibam - That they/you know (plural)
   • É recomendável que eles saibam as regras do projeto. (It is advisable that they know the rules of the project.)

Imperfect Subjunctive Tense

1. Que eu soubesse - That I knew
   • Eu gostaria que eu soubesse mais sobre esse assunto. (I wish I knew more about this subject.)
2. Que tu soubesses - That you knew (informal singular)
   • Seria bom que tu soubesses como resolver esse problema. (It would be good if you knew how to solve this problem.)
3. Que ele/ela/você soubesse - That he/she/you knew (formal singular)
   • Era importante que ele soubesse todas as informações necessárias. (It was important that he knew all the necessary information.)
4. Que nós soubéssemos - That we knew
   • Eu preferiria que nós soubéssemos a verdade desde o início. (I would prefer if we knew the truth from the beginning.)
5. Que vós soubésseis - That you knew (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Eu desejava que vós soubésseis a resposta para esse enigma. (I wished that you knew the answer to this riddle.)
6. Que eles/elas/vocês soubessem - That they/you knew (plural)
   • Seria bom que eles soubessem como lidar com essa situação delicada. (It would be good if they knew how to handle this delicate situation.)

Imperative Mood

1. Sabe - Know (informal singular)
   • Sabe onde encontrar a informação necessária? (Do you know where to find the necessary information?)
2. Saiba - Know (formal singular)
   • Saiba que estamos aqui para te apoiar. (Know that we are here to support you.)
3. Saibamos - Let’s know
   • Saibamos o que está acontecendo ao nosso redor. (Let’s know what’s happening around us.)
4. Sabei - Know (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Sabei que vossa contribuição é valorizada. (Know that your contribution is valued.)
5. Saibam - Know (formal plural)
   • Saibam que estamos gratos por sua presença. (Know that we are grateful for your presence.)

Conclusion

Mastering the conjugations of the verb “saber” is fundamental for expressing knowledge, understanding, and awareness in Portuguese. Through its diverse conjugations across various tenses and moods, “saber” allows us to communicate what we know and comprehend. By understanding and practicing the conjugations provided in this guide, you will gain the ability to express your knowledge and understanding with confidence in the Portuguese language. So, embrace the power of “saber” and embark on a journey of continuous learning and growth in the realm of Portuguese communication.