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ITALIAN VERB

sapere

to know

  • #9 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: saputo
  • Gerund: sapendo

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I know
  2. tu you know
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she knows
  4. noi we know
  5. voi you all know
  6. loro they know

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I knew
  2. tu you knew
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she knew
  4. noi we knew
  5. voi you all knew
  6. loro they knew

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to know
  2. tu you used to know
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to know
  4. noi we used to know
  5. voi you all used to know
  6. loro they used to know

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will know
  2. tu you will know
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will know
  4. noi we will know
  5. voi you all will know
  6. loro they will know

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would know
  2. tu you would know
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would know
  4. noi we would know
  5. voi you all would know
  6. loro they would know

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I know
  2. tu (that) you know
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she know
  4. noi (that) we know
  5. voi (that) you all know
  6. loro (that) they know

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu know!
  2. Lei know! (formal)
  3. noi know! (let’s)
  4. voi know! (all of you)

How to use sapere

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Sai a che ora chiude la posta?

    Do you know what time the post office closes?

  2. Past

    L'ho saputo solo ieri sera.

    I only found out last night.

  3. Imperfect

    Non sapevo che fossi italiano!

    I didn't know you were Italian!

  4. Future

    Lo sapremo solo domani mattina.

    We'll only know tomorrow morning.

  5. Conditional

    Saprebbe dirmi dov'è il bagno?

    Could you tell me where the bathroom is?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Credo che sappiano già tutto.

    I think they already know everything.

  7. Imperative

    Sappi che non sono d'accordo.

    Know that I don't agree.

Good to know

  • Sapere is to know a fact or how to do something: so nuotare. Conoscere is to know a person or a place.
  • Non lo so is I don't know.

Where you hear sapere

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Italian · Beginner Level 1

  • So dov'è il mio telefono! I know where my phone is!
  • Stasera ho saputo cosa vuol dire Fontelupo. Tonight I found out what Fontelupo means.
  • Lo saprai presto, tesoro. You'll know soon, sweetheart.

Italian · Beginner Level 2

  • So dov'è il mio telefono! I know where my phone is!
  • Stasera ho saputo cosa vuol dire Fontelupo. Tonight I found out what Fontelupo means.
  • Lo saprai presto, tesoro. You'll know soon, sweetheart.
26
The Old Wheat

Beginner Level 1 · Non so.

Needs a subscription 7
Looking for Work at Bruna's

Beginner Level 2 · Che lavoro sa fare? · Sa cucinare? · So cucinare. Faccio la cuoca. · So cucinare. Faccio il cuoco.

Needs a subscription 10
The Dishwasher Broke

Beginner Level 2 · Non lo so. Vediamo lunedì.

Needs a subscription 3
The Roofer's Visit

Beginner Level 3 · Lo so. Quanto costa il tetto? · Lo so.

Needs a subscription 10
Nonna's Thanks

Beginner Level 3 · Tantissimo! Ho pianto, sai? · Lo so. Anche Gino ha pianto!

Needs a subscription 23
The Fireplace

Beginner Level 3 · Sai accendere il fuoco?

Needs a subscription 18
Snowstorm at the Hotel

Intermediate Level 1 · Lo so, che bufera! E la cena?

Needs a subscription 2
Nunzia's Kitchen

Intermediate Level 2 · Vediamo. Sa fare il sugo?

Free 6
Ciro Comes Down

Intermediate Level 2 · Io sì. Chiara non lo sa ancora.

Needs a subscription 14
Chiara in Love

Intermediate Level 2 · Ciro? Lo sapevo! Gliel'hai detto?

Needs a subscription 16
Ciro's Doubts

Intermediate Level 2 · Non so cosa fare. Aiutami tu.

Needs a subscription 23
Donato's Offer

Intermediate Level 2 · È un'offerta importante. Non so cosa dire.

Needs a subscription

And 29 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ere verb.