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A Knowing French Verb
The French verb savoir usually means "to know." It has irregular conjugations in just about every tense and mood, and somewhat different meanings in a couple of those.
Savoir + noun
To know a fact, to know by heart
Par exemple…
| Savez-vous l’heure ? | Do you know the time? | |
| Je sais beaucoup de chansons. | I know a lot of songs by heart. |
Savoir + infinitive
To know how to do something
Par exemple…
| Je sais conduire. | I know how to drive. | |
| Il ne sait pas le faire. | He doesn’t know how to do it. |
Savoir + clause
To know, realize
Par exemple…
| Tu ne sais pas ce que tu fais. | You don’t realize what you’re doing. | |
| Il sait bien qu’il a tort. | He knows very well that he’s wrong. |
Meaning changes
Savoir has different meanings in the passé composé and conditional.
Passé composé
Savoir = to learn, find out
| J’ai enfin su ce qu’il s’était passé. | I finally found out what had happened. | |
| Qu’en avez-vous su ? | What did you find out about it? |
Conditional
Savoir = to be able to (very formal)
| Sauriez-vous répondre à des questions ? | Could you possibly answer some questions? | |
| Je ne saurais pas vous renseigner. | I’m afraid I can’t give you any information |
Savoir is one of the small number of French verbs that can be made negative with the ne littéraire (ne without pas).
Par exemple…
| Je le lui ai dit je ne sais combien de fois. | I’ve told him countless times. | |
| Je ne saurais vous aider. | I wouldn’t know how to help you. |
Savoir in action
Related lessons
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