soube/soubeste/soube/soubemos/souberam

Pretérito Perfeito De Saber

Level 2

The Pretérito Perfeito of saber (soube, soubeste, etc.) is an irregular past tense. Unlike the Imperfeito (sabia), which describes a continuous state of knowing, the Perfeito focuses on the moment of discovery.

How It Works

The verb saber is highly irregular in the past tense. It belongs to a group called 'Strong Preterites,' where the stem changes completely from sab- to soub-.

1. Conjugation:

  • Eu soube
  • Tu soubeste
  • Você/Ele/Ela soube
  • Nós soubemos
  • Vocês/Eles/Elas souberam

2. Meaning Shift:
Learners often confuse soube with sabia.
• Sabia (Imperfeito): 'I knew' (I already had the information).
• Soube (Perfeito): 'I found out' (I received the information at that specific point in time).

3. Pronunciation:
Note that in the 1st and 3rd person singular (soube), the stress is on the first syllable (SOU-be), unlike regular verbs where the stress is usually on the ending (e.g., comi, comeu).

4. Usage:
This form is essential for narrating how you came across news, secrets, or facts. In Brazil, people also frequently use the phrase fiquei sabendo to express the same idea, but soube remains standard and very common in both Brazil and Portugal.

Examples (4)

  1. Eu soube da notícia pelo jornal hoje de manhã.

    I found out the news from the newspaper this morning.

    Word by Word: I found-out of-the news by-the newspaper today of morning.

    Here, 'soube' indicates the specific moment the person read the news and acquired the information.

  2. Como você soube que eu estava aqui?

    How did you find out I was here?

    Word by Word: How you found-out that I was here?

    This asks about the point in time the discovery was made.

  3. Eles só souberam a verdade muitos anos depois.

    They only learned the truth many years later.

    Word by Word: They only found-out the truth many years after.

    The use of 'souberam' emphasizes the event of the truth being revealed to them.

  4. Nós soubemos que o voo foi cancelado.

    We found out that the flight was canceled.

    Word by Word: We found-out that the flight was canceled.

    This describes the moment the passengers received the notification or information.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'sabia' when you mean 'found out'.

    Ontem eu sabia que ela casou.
    Ontem eu soube que ela casou.

    If you use 'sabia', it sounds like you already knew the fact. To say you discovered it yesterday, you must use 'soube'.

  • Regularizing the irregular stem.

    Eu sabi a resposta.
    Eu soube a resposta.

    Saber is highly irregular; the stem 'sab-' must change to 'soub-' in the Pretérito Perfeito.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

soube/soubeste/soube/soubemos/souberamLevel 2Pretérito Perfeito De Saber

Learn This First

To understand the irregular preterite of 'saber', learners first need to be familiar with the verb's basic meaning in the present tense and the standard rules for the Pretérito Perfeito of -ER verbs. Familiarity with other u-stem irregular verbs like 'ter' helps in recognizing the pattern of stem changes in the past tense.

Words in This Pattern

saber