Savoir Conjugation: Every Tense + Savoir vs Connaître

Savoir means to know, and English speakers meet it on day one with je ne sais pas (I don't know). The present tense is short and friendly. Then come que je sache, sachez que, je saurai, and the question every student asks me sooner or later: "Wait, why can't I say je sais Paris?"

This page gives you the full savoir conjugation in every tense you need, with simple pronunciation hints, the sach- stem that covers three forms at once, the difference between j'ai su and je savais, a clear test for savoir vs connaître, 10 example sentences, the expressions French speakers actually use, and a short practice set.

Savoir conjugation in the present tense

Larousse classifies savoir as an irregular verb of the third group, conjugated with avoir. Learn these six forms first.

Three forms sound identical, because the final s and t are silent. The plural forms move to a second stem, sav-. In casual speech, je sais often shrinks to something like shay, and je ne sais pas becomes chais pas. You'll hear it everywhere; just don't write it.

Tip from class: I tell students that savoir has a "say" stem and a "sav" stem. Singular says, plural saves. Silly, but nobody forgets nous savons after that.

Savoir in the passé composé: j'ai su

Savoir takes avoir, and its past participle is su (four written forms per Larousse: su, sue, sus, sues, all pronounced sew).

J'ai su or je savais?

This is where savoir changes meaning, and it's the point most conjugation tables skip. The passé composé marks a moment, so j'ai su usually means I found out or I learned: J'ai su la nouvelle hier soir. (I heard the news last night.) The imparfait describes a state, so je savais means I knew: Je savais qu'il viendrait. (I knew he would come.)

If you'd say "found out" in English, use j'ai su (or the very common j'ai appris). If you'd say "knew," use je savais. The same split happens with pouvoir, vouloir and connaître; our guide to passé composé vs imparfait walks through all of them.

Savoir in the imparfait

Take the sav- stem and add the regular imparfait endings.

Future and conditional: the saur- stem

The future and the conditional share the irregular stem saur- (said sore). Nothing of the infinitive is left, so this is the stem to memorize.

Je saurai and je saurais sound almost the same in everyday speech; context and the si clause tell them apart. Tu le sauras demain (you'll know tomorrow) versus Si tu lisais, tu saurais (if you read, you would know).

Je ne saurais pas: the polite "I couldn't"

Larousse notes that the negative conditional je ne saurais works as a softened version of pouvoir. Je ne saurais pas vous dire means "I couldn't tell you," and it sounds gentler than je ne peux pas vous dire. Shop staff and receptionists use it all the time. If you want the full picture of pouvoir itself, our pouvoir conjugation guide covers je pourrais and puis-je.

Subjunctive, imperative and participle: the sach- stem

Here's the good news. One odd stem, sach- (said sahsh), covers three forms at once.

The subjunctive shows up after expressions like il faut que and bien que: Il faut que tu saches la vérité. (You need to know the truth.) Our French subjunctive guide explains when the subjunctive is required.

The imperative sachez que (please be aware that) is a formal favorite in emails and announcements: Sachez que le bureau sera fermé lundi. (Please note that the office will be closed on Monday.)

For literature lovers, Larousse also gives the passé simple: je sus, il sut, nous sûmes, ils surent. You'll read it in novels, but you'll never need to say it.

Savoir vs connaître: which "to know"?

English has one verb; French has two. The University of Texas Tex's French Grammar puts it simply: savoir is for facts, things known by heart, or abilities, and connaître is for people and places you are acquainted with.

The quick test I use in class: look at what comes right after the verb. If it's a clause (que, où, quand, si, comment) or an infinitive, use savoir. If it's a noun (a person, a city, a restaurant), use connaître. That one check fixes most errors.

Notice that "I know how to" is just je sais + infinitive: Je sais conduire, never je sais comment conduire for a skill. And a small grammar detail from Larousse: savoir only takes a person as its subject, unless you're being figurative.

For reference, connaître conjugates je connais, nous connaissons, ils connaissent, j'ai connu, je connaîtrai (Larousse). In the passé composé it often means met: J'ai connu ma femme à Québec. (I met my wife in Québec City.)

10 example sentences with savoir

1. Je ne sais pas ce qu'il veut. I don't know what he wants.
2. Tu sais parler espagnol ? Can you speak Spanish? (Do you know how?)
3. Nous savons que c'est difficile. We know it's hard.
4. Ils ne savent pas encore la date. They don't know the date yet.
5. J'ai su la vérité trop tard. I found out the truth too late.
6. Elle savait déjà la réponse. She already knew the answer.
7. Vous saurez le résultat vendredi. You'll know the result on Friday.
8. Si je savais cuisiner, je t'inviterais. If I knew how to cook, I'd invite you.
9. Je veux que vous sachiez que je suis là. I want you to know I'm here.
10. Sachant qu'il pleuvait, j'ai pris un parapluie. Knowing it was raining, I took an umbrella.

Everyday expressions with savoir

These come from the Larousse dictionary entry. They're the ones my students hear most in conversation and on French TV.

Faites-moi savoir is the one I'd learn first: it's in almost every polite French email. You can drill these expressions, along with the other core verbs, in five minutes a day with the free French Keys flashcards.

Common mistakes English speakers make

• Mistake: je sais Paris → Say instead: je connais Paris.
• Mistake: je connais qu'il est malade → Say instead: je sais qu'il est malade.
• Mistake: je sais comment nager (for a skill) → Say instead: je sais nager.
• Mistake: je savais la nouvelle hier for "I found out yesterday" → Say instead: j'ai su la nouvelle hier or j'ai appris la nouvelle hier.
• Mistake: savant as the present participle → Say instead: sachant.
• Mistake: je sairai → Say instead: je saurai.

Practice

Fill in the correct form of savoir or connaître.

1. Est-ce que vous ___ où est la pharmacie ? (savoir, present)
2. Ils ___ jouer du piano. (savoir, present)
3. Hier soir, j'___ qu'elle était enceinte. (savoir, passé composé)
4. Il faut que nous ___ la date avant lundi. (savoir, subjunctive)
5. Tu ___ mon frère ? (savoir or connaître, present)
6. Demain, vous ___ tout. (savoir, future)

Answers: 1. savez · 2. savent · 3. ai su · 4. sachions · 5. connais (a person) · 6. saurez

In short

Savoir sounds like say for je, tu and il, switches to sav- for the plural, uses saur- in the future and conditional, and sach- in the subjunctive, imperative and participle. J'ai su means you found out; je savais means you knew; and a noun after "know" almost always calls for connaître. Compare it with voir and être, and see where it ranks among the most common French verbs.

If you'd like Magali to check your savoir and connaître in real conversation, book a free 30-minute assessment. You'll leave knowing exactly which verbs and tenses to work on next.