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Le Verbe Savoir: The Ultimate Guide to Conjugating French Verbs

Emilio Cox

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Published in Le Verbe SAVOIR ( To Know): Conjugate French Verbs

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In the tapestry of French grammar, the verb savoir stands out as an indispensable thread, enriching our ability to express knowledge, perception, and a myriad of other nuances. As you embark on your French language journey, mastering the conjugation of savoir is paramount to unlocking the gateway to fluent communication.

Understanding the Verb Savoir

Savoir, meaning "to know," is an irregular verb that belongs to the third group of French verbs. Its unique conjugation patterns set it apart from regular verbs, requiring dedicated study and practice.

Le verbe SAVOIR ( To Know): Conjugate French Verbs

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In French, verbs change their form depending on the subject pronoun and the tense of the sentence. Savoir is no exception, and its conjugation varies across different tenses, including the present, past, future, and conditional.

Conjugating Savoir in the Present Tense

The present tense of savoir is used to express actions or states that are happening now or habitually. The conjugation follows these patterns:

je sais (I know)
tu sais (you know)
il/elle/on sait (he/she/it knows)
nous savons (we know)
vous savez (you know)
ils/elles savent (they know)

For example:

Je sais où se trouve la bibliothèque. (I know where the library is.)
Tu sais parler français ? (Do you know how to speak French?)

Conjugating Savoir in the Past Tense

The past tense of savoir is used to express actions or states that happened in the past. There are two main past tenses in French: the passé composé and the imparfait.

Passé Composé

The passé composé is used to express completed actions in the past. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb avoir with the past participle of savoir, which is su.

j'ai su (I knew)
tu as su (you knew)
il/elle/on a su (he/she/it knew)
nous avons su (we knew)
vous avez su (you knew)
ils/elles ont su (they knew)

For example:

J'ai su que tu étais malade. (I knew that you were sick.)
Nous avons su la vérité. (We knew the truth.)

Imparfait

The imparfait is used to express ongoing or habitual actions in the past. It is also used to describe states of being or existence.

je savais (I knew)
tu savais (you knew)
il/elle/on savait (he/she/it knew)
nous savions (we knew)
vous saviez (you knew)
ils/elles savaient (they knew)

For example:

Je savais que tu viendrais. (I knew that you would come.)
Nous savions qu'il était coupable. (We knew that he was guilty.)

Conjugating Savoir in the Future Tense

The future tense of savoir is used to express actions or states that will happen in the future. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb vouloir with the infinitive of savoir.