Lección 2: El verbo saber
El verbo saber
The verb saber (to know) is irregular in the yo form.
sé sabemos
sabes sabéis
sabe saben
To say that someone know how to do something, saber is used with an infinitive. Note that there is no word in Spanish to say how to.
¿Sabes tocar el piano? Do you know how to play the piano?
No, pero sé tocar la guitarra. No, but I know how to play the guitar.
¿Quién sabe hablar francés? Who knows how to speak French?
Mi hermano sabe hablar francés, My brother know how to speak French,
Yo sé hablar chino. I know how to speak Chinese.
The verb saber is also used to tell what someone knows, such as facts or information.
- El juez sabe quiénes son los abogados.
- The judge knows who the lawyers are.
- La secretaria sabe cuándo llega el jefe.
- The secretary knows when the boss arrives.
Saber vs poder
In Módulo 7 you learned the verb poder (to be able to) and is used to express the ability to do something or that something is allowed. The verb saber is used to express what you know how to do, that is, something you have learned to do.
¿Sabes jugar tenis? Do you know how to play tennis?
¿Puedes jugar tenis el sábado? Can you play tennis on Saturday?
Rogelio sabe hablar portugués. Rogelio knows how to speak Portuguese.
Él puede traducir el documento. He can translate the document.
