---
title: "Savoir conjugation: all tenses with examples"
description: "Savoir in every French tense: je sais, j'ai su, je saurai, que je sache. Full tables, examples and TCF/TEF Canada tips."
canonical: https://francaisprep.com/french-conjugation/savoir
---

French conjugation

# Savoir conjugation

Savoir (“to know (a fact), to know how”) in every tense you need, from the présent to the subjonctif, with example sentences and how it shows up in the TCF and TEF Canada.

[Take the free level test](/tools/french-level-test)[See the tables](#tables)

-   Every tense on one page
-   Tables generated from an open French lexicon
-   Notes for TCF and TEF candidates

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In short

Savoir (“to know (a fact), to know how”) is an irregular verb of the third group. In the présent: je sais, tu sais, il/elle sait, nous savons, vous savez, ils/elles savent. Its passé composé is formed with avoir and the past participle su, and its futur simple is built on the stem saur-.

## Savoir at a glance

Meaning

to know (a fact), to know how

Type

Irregular verb (third group)

Auxiliary

avoir

Past participle

su

Present participle

sachant

Future stem

saur-

## Savoir in every tense

### Présent

Present

-   je sais
-   tu sais
-   il/elle sait
-   nous savons
-   vous savez
-   ils/elles savent

[When to use the présent](/blog/french-verb-tenses-for-tcf-tef)

### Passé composé

Compound past

-   j'ai su
-   tu as su
-   il/elle a su
-   nous avons su
-   vous avez su
-   ils/elles ont su

[When to use the passé composé](/blog/passe-compose-vs-imparfait)

### Imparfait

Imperfect

-   je savais
-   tu savais
-   il/elle savait
-   nous savions
-   vous saviez
-   ils/elles savaient

[When to use the imparfait](/blog/passe-compose-vs-imparfait)

### Futur simple

Simple future

-   je saurai
-   tu sauras
-   il/elle saura
-   nous saurons
-   vous saurez
-   ils/elles sauront

[When to use the futur simple](/blog/french-verb-tenses-for-tcf-tef)

### Conditionnel présent

Present conditional

-   je saurais
-   tu saurais
-   il/elle saurait
-   nous saurions
-   vous sauriez
-   ils/elles sauraient

[When to use the conditionnel présent](/blog/french-verb-tenses-for-tcf-tef)

### Subjonctif présent

Present subjunctive

-   que je sache
-   que tu saches
-   qu'il/elle sache
-   que nous sachions
-   que vous sachiez
-   qu'ils/elles sachent

[When to use the subjonctif présent](/blog/le-subjonctif)

### Impératif

Imperative

-   sache
-   sachons
-   sachez

### Passé simple (literary)

Simple past, used in written narrative

-   je sus
-   tu sus
-   il/elle sut
-   nous sûmes
-   vous sûtes
-   ils/elles surent

### Participles

Present and past participles

-   Present participle: sachant
-   Past participle: su, sue, sus, sues

TCF and TEF Canada

## How savoir shows up in the TCF and TEF

Savoir and connaître are a classic confusion that markers penalise. Savoir takes a fact or an infinitive (je sais nager); its subjunctive and imperative use the stem sach-.

-   Je ne sais pas à quelle heure le bureau ferme. _I don't know what time the office closes._
-   Elle savait déjà parler anglais. _She already knew how to speak English._

## From conjugation tables to an exam score

Knowing the forms of savoir is the easy part. The TCF and TEF Canada mark whether you use the right tense, under time pressure, in your own sentences.

-   Check your level
    
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-   Prepare the exam
    
    The [TCF Canada course](/tcf-canada-course) works on grammar inside real writing and speaking tasks, with marked feedback.
    
-   Talk to a teacher
    
    [Book a free 15-minute call](/book) with Adèle to find out what to work on first.
    

Questions

## Savoir conjugation: questions

### How do you conjugate savoir in the present tense?

In the présent, savoir is: je sais, tu sais, il/elle sait, nous savons, vous savez, ils/elles savent.

### What is the passé composé of savoir?

Savoir forms the passé composé with avoir and the past participle su: j'ai su, tu as su, il/elle a su, nous avons su, vous avez su, ils/elles ont su.

### Is savoir conjugated with être or avoir?

Savoir takes avoir in the passé composé and the other compound tenses: j'ai su.

### What is savoir in the futur simple?

The futur simple of savoir is built on the stem saur-: je saurai, tu sauras, il/elle saura, nous saurons, vous saurez, ils/elles sauront.

### What is the imperfect of savoir?

The imparfait of savoir is: je savais, tu savais, il/elle savait, nous savions, vous saviez, ils/elles savaient.

### What is the subjunctive of savoir?

The subjonctif présent of savoir is: que je sache, que tu saches, qu'il/elle sache, que nous sachions, que vous sachiez, qu'ils/elles sachent.

### What is savoir in the passé simple?

The passé simple is a literary tense you will read in narratives and biographies but rarely need to write. For savoir: je sus, tu sus, il/elle sut, nous sûmes, vous sûtes, ils/elles surent.

### What is the imperative of savoir?

The impératif of savoir has three forms: sache, sachons, sachez (tu, nous and vous).

### What is the past participle of savoir?

The past participle of savoir is su (feminine sue, plural sus, sues). Its present participle is sachant.

## More French verbs

-   [être](/french-conjugation/etre)
-   [avoir](/french-conjugation/avoir)
-   [aller](/french-conjugation/aller)
-   [faire](/french-conjugation/faire)
-   [dire](/french-conjugation/dire)
-   [pouvoir](/french-conjugation/pouvoir)
-   [vouloir](/french-conjugation/vouloir)
-   [devoir](/french-conjugation/devoir)

[All 64 verbs](/french-conjugation)

Conjugation tables are generated from the Lefff (Lexique des formes fléchies du français, Benoît Sagot, Inria), packaged as french-verbs-lefff@3.4.0 and distributed under the [LGPL-LR licence](https://www.labri.fr/perso/clement/lefff/licence-LGPLLR.html). Compound forms are built from its auxiliary and participle forms.

Next step

## Preparing for the TCF or TEF Canada?

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