Conjugating SAVOIR

By Ginny Jackson Published: February 12, 2021

8 min read

Learn the forms and uses of the French verb savoir, with conjugation tables and a short practice exercise.

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The verb SAVOIR usually means “to know.” It has irregular forms, but its compound tenses use avoir, which makes that part easier to learn. Another common verb meaning “to know” is connaître. As a practical guide, use SAVOIR for knowing facts or how to do something, and connaître for familiarity with a person, place, or thing. Some uses overlap, so this is a starting point rather than an absolute division. If you’ve studied Spanish, the distinction is similar to saber and conocer.

In this article, you’re going to learn about some of the more common uses of SAVOIR, and there is a short quiz at the end to help you remember some of the key parts and uses of the verb.

Uses of SAVOIR

SAVOIR is another irregular verb, meaning it doesn’t follow a recognised pattern when you conjugate it. Make sure you look out for the irregularities in the different tenses and moods but see if you can start to see similarities in the structure of different tenses.

SAVOIR is used in three particular ways.

1SAVOIR means ‘to know’ in the sense of something you have learned or found out. Example: Je sais danser (I know how to dance) and Il sait mon adresse (He knows my address).
2It can be used in the passé composé to express that you have found something out. Example: Ah oui, je l’ai su hier (Oh yes, I found that out yesterday).
3In the conditionnel, it is used to express a sense of ‘could’ or ‘would’ and being able to do something. Example: Je saurais cacher ma colère. (I would be able to hide my anger).

Conjugation of SAVOIR

Once again, this is an irregular verb and doesn’t follow any of the regular patterns. Keep repeating the verb and listening to the audio, though, and you’ll learn it in no time, but remember that often, different spellings can sound the same in French, so it’s important you secure the spellings as well as the sounds of the words.

Let’s review the conjugation of SAVOIR in the indicative mood.

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the present tense (Présent)

English commonly distinguishes the present simple (“I know”) and present continuous (“I am doing”). French has one present indicative tense, le présent, for these basic uses. French is easy, right?

This particular verb is rarely found in the present continuous – ‘I am knowing’ just doesn’t sound right, does it? – so you only have the present simple meaning in the table below.

Je saisI know
Tu saisYou know
Il / elle saitHe / she knows
Nous savonsWe know
Vous savezYou know
Ils / elles saventThey know

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Imparfait

The imperfect is used to create a sense of something that continued happening in the past. In English we would say ‘I was doing something’ or that ‘I used to do it’.

However, with SAVOIR, that sense of continuation is understood without the word ‘was’ being used.

When choosing between the imparfait and passé composé, consider how you present the past situation. Je savais describes knowing as a background state; j’ai su often describes finding something out or a completed instance of knowing. How long ago it happened does not decide the tense.

Je savaisI knew
Tu savaisYou knew
Il / elle savaitHe / she knew
Nous savionsWe knew
Vous saviezYou knew
Ils / elles savaientThey knew

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Futur

Je sauraiI will know
Tu saurasYou will know
Il / elle sauraHe / she will know
Nous sauronsWe will know
Vous saurezYou will know
Ils / elles saurontThey will know

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Passé Composé

J’ai suI knew
Tu as suYou knew
Il / elle a suHe / she knew
Nous avons suWe knew
Vous avez suYou knew
Ils / elles ont suThey knew

When choosing between j’ai su and je savais, think about discovery or a completed event versus a background state. The distinction is not simply whether the knowledge was short-lived.

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Passé Simple

Je susI knew
Tu susYou knew
Il / elle sutHe / she knew
Nous sûmesWe knew
Vous sûtesYou knew
Ils / elles surentThey knew

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Plus-que-Parfait

J’avais suI had known
Tu avais suYou had known
Il / elle avait suHe / she had known
Nous avions suWe had known
Vous aviez suYou had known
Ils / elles avaient suThey had known

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Passé Antérieur

J’eus suI had known
Tu eus suYou had known
Il / elle eut suHe / she had known
Nous eûmes suWe had known
Vous eûtes suYou had known
Ils / elles eurent suThey had known

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Futur Antérieur

J’aurai suI will have known
Tu auras suYou will have known
Il / elle aura suHe / she will have known
Nous aurons suWe will have known
Vous aurez suYou will have known
Ils auront suThey will have known

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Subjunctive mood (Subjonctif)

Présent

que je sachethat I know
que tu sachesthat you know
qu’il / elle sachethat he / she know
que nous sachionsthat we know
que vous sachiezthat you know
qu’ils / elles sachentthat they know

Imparfait

que je sussethat I knew
que tu sussesthat you knew
qu’il / elle sûtthat he / she knew
que nous sussionsthat we knew
que vous sussiezthat you knew
qu’ils / elles sussentthat they knew

Passé

que j’aie suthat I knew
que tu aies suthat you knew
qu’il / elle ait suthat he / she knew
que nous ayons suthat we knew
que vous ayez suthat you knew
qu’ils / elles aient suthat they knew

Plus-que-Parfait

que j’eusse suthat I had known
que tu eusses suthat you had known
qu’il / elle eût suthat he / she had known
que nous eussions suthat we had known
que vous eussiez suthat you had known
qu’ils / elles eussent suthat they had known

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Conditional Mood (Conditionnel)

Présent

Je sauraisI would know
Tu sauraisYou would know
Il / elle sauraitHe / she would know
Nous saurionsWe would know
Vous sauriezYou would know
Ils / elles sauraientThey would know

Passé

J’aurais suI would have known
Tu aurais suYou would have known
Il / elle aurait suHe / she would have known
Nous aurions suWe would have known
Vous auriez suYou would have known
Ils / elles auraient suThey would have known

Participe

Présentsachant
Passésu
Passé Composéayant su

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Imperative Mood (Impératif)

Présent

(tu) sache
(nous) sachons
(vous) sachez

Passé

(tu) aie su
(nous) ayons su
(vous) ayez su

How to conjugate SAVOIR in the Infinitive Mood (Infinitif)

Présent

savoir

Passé

avoir su

Quick Exercise – fill in the blanks

Some sentences allow more than one tense without extra context. The answers below give one possible completion; for example, sais and savais can both fit item 8 in different contexts.

1. Il _____ conduire.