saber

Pronunciation

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈseɪ.bɚ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈseɪ.bə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -eɪbə(ɹ)

Noun

saber (plural sabers)

1. Alternative spelling of sabre

Verb

saber (third-person singular simple present sabers, present participle sabering, simple past and past participle sabered)

1. Alternative spelling of sabre

Anagrams

• BSAer, Bares, Brase, Breas, bares, barse, baser, bears, besra, braes, rabes, sabre

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapere, present active infinitive of sapiō (“I taste”).

Verb

saber

1. to know

Etymology

From Old Occitan saber, from Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapere, present active infinitive of sapiō (“I taste”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p- (“to try, to research”).

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /səˈbe/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /saˈbeɾ/

Verb

saber (first-person singular present sé, past participle sabut)

1. to know (a fact), to have knowledge
2. to know how to

References

• Institut d’Estudis Catalans (1995). Diccionari de la llengua catalana (4th edition). →ISBN.

Etymology

From Old Portuguese saber, from Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapere, present active infinitive of sapiō (“I taste”).

Verb

saber (first-person singular present sei, first-person singular preterite souben, past participle sabido)

1. to know (a fact)
2. to know how to do (something)
3. first-person singular personal infinitive of saber
4. third-person singular personal infinitive of saber

See also

• coñecer

Alternative forms

• saupre

Etymology

From Old Occitan saber, from Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapere, present active infinitive of sapiō (“I taste”).

Verb

saber

1. to know

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapere, present active infinitive of sapiō (“I taste”).

Verb

saber

1. to taste (have a certain taste)
2. to know

Noun

saber m (oblique plural sabers, nominative singular sabers, nominative plural saber)

1. knowledge

References

• von Wartburg, Walther (1928-2002), “sapere”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 110, page 193

Etymology

From Old Portuguese saber, from Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapere, present active infinitive of sapiō (“I taste; I am wise”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p- (“to try, to research”).

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɐ.ˈbeɾ/, [sɐ.ˈβeɾ]
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /sa.ˈbe(ʁ)/
  • (Paulista) IPA^(key): [sa.ˈbe(ɾ)], [sa.ˈbe(ɹ)]

Verb

saber (first-person singular present indicative sei, past participle sabido)

1. (transitive) to know [a fact]

   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.

2. (transitive) to know [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.

   Ninguém sabe qual é a velocidade aérea média de uma andorinha não carregada.

   Nobody knows what the average airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is.

3. (auxiliary with a verb in the impersonal infinitive) to know [how to do something]

   Não sei como fazer isso, mas ela sabe.

   I don’t know how to do this, but she knows.

   Sabes falar russo?

   Do you know how to speak Russian?

4. (transitive with de or sobre (less common)) to know about; to have heard about (to be aware of the existence of, or of some information about)

   Soube da explosão que houve no centro?

   Have you heard about the downtown explosion?

5. (transitive) to know [a skill]

   Os selvagens não sabiam matemática.

   The savages didn’t know mathematics.

6. (now very formal, transitive with a) to taste of (to have the same taste as)

   Um bom vinho sabe a carvalho.

   A good wine tastes like oak.

7. (now very formal, intransitive) to have a pleasant taste

   Como sabe esse vinho!

   How good does this wine taste!

Noun

saber m (plural saberes)

1. knowledge; lore (intellectual understanding)

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *sapēre, from Latin sapere, present active infinitive of sapiō (“I taste”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p- (“to try, to research”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /saˈbeɾ/, [saˈβeɾ]

Verb

saber (first-person singular present sé, first-person singular preterite supe, past participle sabido)

1. to know (a fact)

   Sé que volverá – I know it'll come back

2. to know how to do something

   Sabe hablar español – He knows how to speak Spanish

3. (in the preterite tense) to find out
4. to taste

   Sabe a pollo – It tastes like chicken

Noun

saber m (uncountable)

1. knowledge

See also

• conocer - to know a person or place
• saborear