saber

== English == === Pronunciation === (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈseɪ.bɚ/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈseɪ.bə/ Rhymes: -eɪbə(ɹ) Hyphenation: sa‧ber === Noun === saber (plural sabers) US standard spelling of sabre. (science fiction) Clipping of lightsaber ==== Derived terms ==== === Verb === saber (third-person singular simple present sabers, present participle sabering, simple past and past participle sabered) US standard spelling of sabre. ==== Translations ==== === Anagrams === bares, rabes, besra, Bears, baser, Brase, barse, bears, sabre, BSAer, Breas, Bares, braes == Asturian == === Etymology === Inherited from Latin sapere (“taste, know”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /saˈbeɾ/ [saˈβ̞eɾ] Rhymes: -eɾ Syllabification: sa‧ber === Verb === saber to know ==== Conjugation ==== This entry needs an inflection-table template. ==== Related terms ==== sabor === Further reading === García Arias, Xosé Lluis (2002–2004), “saber”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (overall work in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN “saber”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN == Catalan == === Alternative forms === sabre, sebre (directly from Latin sapĕre) sapiguer (dialectal) === Etymology === Inherited from Old Catalan saber, from Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapĕre (“taste, know”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern) [səˈβe̞] IPA(key): (Balearic) [səˈbə] IPA(key): (Central) [səˈβɛ] IPA(key): (Valencia) [saˈbeɾ] IPA(key): (Northwestern) [saˈβe] === Verb === saber (first-person singular present sé, first-person singular preterite sabí, past participle sabut) to know (a fact), to have knowledge to know how to ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Derived terms ==== saber greu sabràs dos i dos quants fan ==== Related terms ==== sabor === Noun === saber m (plural sabers) knowledge, know-how ==== See also ==== conèixer (“to be familiar with”) === References === “saber”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 “saber”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026 “saber” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “saber”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan) == Galician == === Etymology === From Old Galician-Portuguese saber, from Latin sapere (“taste, know”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /saˈbeɾ/ [s̺aˈβ̞eɾ] Rhymes: -eɾ Hyphenation: sa‧ber === Verb === saber (first-person singular present sei, first-person singular preterite souben, past participle sabido)saber (first-person singular present sei, first-person singular preterite soubem or soube, past participle sabido, reintegrationist norm) to know (a fact) to know how to do (something) to find out (intransitive) to taste, to have a taste Sabe ben! ― It tastes good! (pronominal) to like, enjoy A min sábeme o caldo. ― I like broth / I like this broth. ==== Usage notes ==== Like Portuguese and Spanish, Galician has two different verbs that are usually translated to English as “to know”. The verb saber relates to factual knowledge and skills. In contrast, the verb coñecer relates to familiarity with people or places. ==== Conjugation ==== Currently, it is not known where the first person singular form that is currently used for the present indicative, "sei", originates from. ==== Derived terms ==== seica ==== Related terms ==== sabor ==== See also ==== coñecer === Noun === saber m (plural saberes) knowledge, know-how === References === “saber”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026 “saber”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026 Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “saber”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “saber”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “saber”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “saber”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “saber”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN == Indonesian == === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈsabər/ [ˈsa.bər] Rhymes: -abər Syllabification: sa‧ber === Etymology 1 === ==== Noun ==== saber (plural saber-saber) (politics) syllabic abbreviation of sapu bersih ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from Malay [Term?] (Bangka dialect). ==== Noun ==== saber (plural saber-saber) (dialect) the technique of catching fish by damming a river using wood === Further reading === “saber”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Occitan == === Alternative forms === saupre === Etymology === Inherited from Old Occitan saber, from Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapĕre (“taste, know”). === Pronunciation === === Verb === saber to know Antonym: ignorar ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Related terms ==== sabor == Old Occitan == === Etymology === Inherited from Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapĕre (“taste, know”). === Verb === saber to taste (have a certain taste) to know === Noun === saber m (oblique plural sabers, nominative singular sabers, nominative plural saber) knowledge ==== Related terms ==== sabor (noun) ==== Descendants ==== Catalan: saber === References === Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “sapere”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 11: S–Si, page 193 == Portuguese == === Etymology === From Old Galician-Portuguese saber, from Latin sapere (“taste, know”). The verb’s first-person singular conjugation reflects an original */ˈsajo/, in common with other Romance languages, of uncertain origin. The present subjunctive forms show consonant metathesis: sapiām > */ˈsajpa/ > Portuguese saiba. === Pronunciation === (Rural Central Brazil) IPA(key): /sɐˈbe(ɹ)/ Hyphenation: sa‧ber === Verb === saber (first-person singular present sei, first-person singular preterite soube, past participle sabido) to know (transitive or intransitive) to be aware, to know [with direct object ‘a fact’ or que (+ indicative clause when positive or subjunctive clause when negated) ‘that ...’ or indirect question] Perguntaram-me a resposta, mas eu não sabia. ― They asked me the answer, but I didn’t know. Sei que é verdade. ― I know it’s true. (transitive) to be aware of a value or piece of information Eu sei qual é a capital da Assíria. ― I know what is the capital of Assyria. Ele sabe duzentos algarismos do número neperiano. ― He knows two hundred digits of Euler’s number. (catenative) to know how [with infinitive ‘to do something’] Não sei fazer isso, mas ela sabe. ― I don’t know how to do this, but she knows. Sabes falar russo? ― Can you speak Russian? (intransitive) to know; to have heard [with de or sobre ‘about something’] Soube da explosão que houve no centro? ― Have you heard about the downtown explosion? (intransitive, Portugal) to taste of/like (to have the same taste as) [with a ‘something’] Um bom vinho sabe a carvalho. ― A good wine tastes like oak. (intransitive, Portugal) to have a pleasant taste Como sabe esse vinho! ― How good does this wine taste! (transitive) to learn (to become informed of something) Eles querem saber mais sobre o projeto. ― They want to learn more about the project. ==== Usage notes ==== saber does not mean to know in the sense of knowing someone (who they are); for that, conhecer should be used instead. In Brazil, the sense of to taste was practically replaced by ter gosto de, being rarely used in this sense. In Portugal, this sense is widely used. Although nonstandard, some speakers change the conjugation for the first person singular depending on the meaning of the verb: it is conjugated as sei if it means to know, but as saibo if it means to taste. Aside from this case, all the other verb forms are homonymous. ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Quotations ==== For quotations using this term, see Citations:saber. ==== Synonyms ==== (to know a value): conhecer (to know how to do something): conseguir (to taste of): ter gosto de ==== Descendants ==== Kabuverdianu: sabe Macanese: sabe Macau Pidgin Portuguese: 撒㗑, 撒備, 散拜→ Chinese Pidgin English: savvy, sarby>? Macanese: sábi Papiamentu: sabi → Bislama: save → Krio: sabi → Nigerian Pidgin: sabi → Sranan Tongo: sabiAukan: sabiSaramaccan: sábi → Tok Pisin: save === Noun === saber m (plural saberes) knowledge; lore (intellectual understanding) Synonyms: conhecimento, sabedoria ==== Derived terms ==== dar a saber sabe-tudo ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “saber”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “saber”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Etymology === Inherited from Latin sapiō, sapere (“taste, know”). Compare English savvy, savor. The 1SG reflects an original */ˈsajo/, in common with other Romance languages, of uncertain origin. The present subjunctive forms show consonant metathesis (sapiām > */ˈsajpa/ > Sp. sepa). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /saˈbeɾ/ [saˈβ̞eɾ] Rhymes: -eɾ Syllabification: sa‧ber === Verb === saber (first-person singular present sé, first-person singular preterite supe, past participle sabido) to know, to understand (a fact) Sé que volverá. ― I know it'll come back. Lo siguiente que sé... ― Next thing I know... que yo sepa ― as far as I know Si tú supieras... ― If you knew... ya tú sabes ― you (already) know to know how to do something (in the preterite tense) to find out, to learn to taste (i.e. have a flavour) [with a ‘something’] Sabe a pollo. ― It tastes like chicken. Estos plátanos saben bien. ― These bananas taste good. to realize, to know (i.e. recognize) to tell, to know (i.e. to discern or distinguish if something is the case) (informal) to figure out to hear from [with de ‘someone’] to hear of, to hear about [with de ‘something’] to learn, to find out, to know [with de ‘about something’] (reflexive) to be known (reflexive) to know (extremely well) (colloquial, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru) synonym of soler (in several senses: (auxiliary) to be accustomed to; (imperfect) to used to) Synonyms: soler, acostumbrar ==== Conjugation ==== The irregular conjugation of saber is the source of two common grammatical errors among Spanish speakers, both of which concern the first-person singular present indicative form: The form sabo is frequent among non-native speakers learning the language, and to a lesser extent also among children who are native speakers (e.g. *(yo) sabo hablar inglés bien ― I know how to speak English well). The correct conjugated form is sé (and thus the above example should read (yo) sé hablar inglés bien), and fluent Spanish speakers generally do not make this mistake; this gave rise to the humorous phrase yo no sabo in Spanish and to the derogatory term no sabo kid in English, both terms referring to the lack of fluency in the language. The form sepo is sometimes found with the meaning "to taste" (e.g. *(yo) sepo a azúcar ― I taste like sugar), even among fluent Spanish speakers. This usage is proscribed by the Royal Spanish Academy, who maintain that the conjugation of saber is the same regardless of meaning, thus making sé the correct form in this context as well (i.e., (yo) sé a azúcar). Additionally, the second-person imperative form (sabe) can sound awkward to some speakers. Instead, an alternative structure is used, such as "que sepas que..." or "has de saber...". ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== References ==== === Noun === saber m (plural saberes) knowledge Synonym: conocimiento ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → English: savvy (via some creole or pidgin) → Ido: savar → Sabir: sabir === Further reading === “saber”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 “saber”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010 “saber”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Panhispanic Dictionary of Uncertainties] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, 2023, →ISBN