Saber
to know (facts / how to do)
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | sei | Eu sei o que quero — o difícil é ir buscar. — I know what I want — the hard part is going to get it. |
| você/ele/ela | sabe | Ela sabe mais do que mostra — estratégia consciente. — She knows more than she shows — conscious strategy. |
| nós | sabemos | Nós sabemos o suficiente para começar. — We know enough to start. |
| eles/elas | sabem | Eles sabem o que fazem — confie no processo deles. — They know what they're doing — trust their process. |
I know I don't know everything — and that is the beginning of wisdom. My friend knows how to listen in a way that makes people feel understood. We know together what we ignore separately. Knowing is the starting point — what we do with it is the question.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | soube | Eu soube da notícia por uma mensagem às três da manhã. — I found out the news via a message at three in the morning. |
| você/ele/ela | soube | Ela soube lidar com a situação melhor do que ninguém esperava. — She knew how to handle the situation better than anyone expected. |
| nós | soubemos | Nós soubemos a verdade mais tarde do que deveríamos. — We found out the truth later than we should have. |
| eles/elas | souberam | Eles souberam da mudança antes de qualquer anúncio oficial. — They found out about the change before any official announcement. |
The meeting was revealing. I found out about the merger from the press before the internal communiqué. My partner knew how to keep the secret for weeks — hats off to her. We found out the truth at the same time — and had the same reaction. Those who found out earlier kept it well.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | sabia | Eu sabia que algo estava errado antes de ter qualquer prova. — I used to know something was wrong before having any proof. |
| você/ele/ela | sabia | Ela sabia tudo de memória — agenda de décadas na cabeça. — She used to know everything by heart — decades of schedule in her head. |
| nós | sabíamos | Nós sabíamos como terminar antes de começar — e fomos mesmo assim. — We used to know how it would end before starting — and went anyway. |
| eles/elas | sabiam | Eles sabiam mais sobre a história do bairro do que qualquer livro. — They used to know more about the neighbourhood history than any book. |
My grandmother used to know the name of every plant in the garden — and the story of each. She used to know the weather that was coming by the wind before any forecast. My mum used to know when something was wrong with me before I noticed. We used to know that the love we received was unconditional — it needed no proof.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou saber | Vou saber o resultado da entrevista até sexta. — I'm going to find out the interview result by Friday. |
| você/ele/ela | vai saber | Ela vai saber lidar — sempre soube. — She's going to know how to handle it — she always has. |
| nós | vamos saber | Vamos saber mais quando os dados chegarem. — We're going to know more when the data arrives. |
| eles/elas | vão saber | Eles vão saber a verdade quando a hora chegar. — They're going to find out the truth when the time comes. |
The final exam is next week. I'm going to find out if I passed on Friday. My friend is going to know how to handle the result, whatever it is. We're going to know more about the project when the report arrives. Those who are going to find out early have the responsibility of communicating it well.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | saberei | Saberei que foi a decisão certa pelo que vier depois. — I will know it was the right decision by what comes next. |
| você/ele/ela | saberá | Ela saberá a resposta quando parar de procurar. — She will know the answer when she stops looking. |
| nós | saberemos | Saberemos mais com o tempo — sempre soubemos menos do que pensávamos. — We will know more with time — we always knew less than we thought. |
| eles/elas | saberão | Eles saberão lidar quando o momento chegar. — They will know how to handle it when the moment comes. |
The communiqué was precise: The finalists will find out the result by the end of the day. We will know more about the proposals in the Q&A sessions. The evaluators will know the criteria in advance. I will personally know each candidate before any final decision.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | saberia | Eu saberia o que dizer se tivesse tido mais tempo. — I would know what to say if I had had more time. |
| você/ele/ela | saberia | Ela saberia a resposta se tivesse feito a pergunta certa. — She would know the answer if she had asked the right question. |
| nós | saberíamos | Saberíamos mais se erguêssemos a cabeça do trabalho por um instante. — We would know more if we lifted our heads from work for a moment. |
| eles/elas | saberiam | Eles saberiam o que fazer com mais contexto. — They would know what to do with more context. |
If there were more humility in the world, I would know more — paradoxically. My friend would know more if he stopped pretending he already does. We would know more about ourselves with more silence. Organisations would know more about their customers if they asked more and assumed less.
Saber across the tenses
A short story using saber in multiple tenses
Meu avô sabia coisas que nunca estava nos livros. Sabia pelo cheiro se ia chover. Sabia quando alguém estava triste sem nada ser dito. Nós sabíamos que ele sabia mais do que falava — e fazíamos perguntas para descobrir.
Hoje eu sei que o que ele sabia era atenção acumulada por décadas. Ontem soube de algo que ele me contou anos atrás — e só agora entendi. Soubemos coisas assim — com atraso, com espanto, com gratidão.
No próximo encontro com alguém que admiro, vou saber ouvir mais do que falar. Se conseguir, saberei aprender com quem sabe mais do que eu.
Perguntei a ele o que saberia se pudesse escolher saber uma coisa. Ele pensou: Saberia quando parar. De trabalhar, de falar, de segurar. Sempre soube começar — é o parar que aprendi tarde.
My grandfather used to know things that were never in any book. He used to know by the smell whether it was going to rain. He used to know when someone was sad without anything being said. We used to know that he knew more than he said — and asked questions to find out. Today I know that what he knew was attention accumulated over decades. Yesterday I found out something he had told me years ago — and only now understood. We found out things like this — with delay, with wonder, with gratitude. At the next meeting with someone I admire, I'm going to know how to listen more than I speak. If I manage it, I will know how to learn from those who know more than me. I asked him what he would know if he could choose to know one thing. He thought: I would know when to stop. From working, from speaking, from holding on. I always knew how to start — it's stopping that I learned late.
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