French Power Verb Savoir
The verb savoir means to know how to do something. Using this verb in the conditional tense is a way to speak politely in French. Like many verbs, savoir can be followed directly by an infinitive.
This is what makes the verb savoir a “power verb”. You can put any infinitive right after it, no preposition is required, and it means you know “how to do” whatever that infinitive is! Watch my lesson on savoir at the bottom of this lesson to see the verb savoir in “power verb” action! You can download a free PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
French Verb Savoir: Present tense conjugation
| Je sais I know how | Nous savons We know how |
| Tu sais You know how | Vous savez You know how |
| Il – Elle – On sait He – She – One knows how *ON SAIT also means WE KNOW HOW | Ils – Elles savent They know how |
French Verb Savoir: Conditional tense conjugation
| Je saurais I would know how | Nous saurions We would know how |
| Tu saurais You would know how | Vous sauriez You would know how |
| Il – Elle – On saurait He – She – One would know how *ON SAURAIT also means WE WOULD KNOW HOW | Ils – Elles sauraient They would know how |
Examples
Je
| Je sais manger. | I know how to eat. |
| Je ne sais pas manger. | I don’t know how to eat. |
| Je saurais manger. | I would know how to eat. |
| Je ne saurais pas manger. | I would not know how to eat. |
Tu
| Tu sais voyager. | You know how to travel. |
| Tu ne sais pas voyager. | You don’t know how to travel. |
| Tu saurais voyager. | You would know how to travel. |
| Tu ne saurais pas voyager. | You would not know how to travel. |
Il / Elle / On
| Il sait travailler. | He knows how to work. |
| Il ne sait pas travailler. | He doesn’t know how to work. |
| Il saurait travailler. | He would know how to work. |
| Il ne saurait pas travailler. | He would not know how to work. |
Nous
| Nous savons faire la cuisine. | We know how to cook. |
| Nous ne savons pas faire la cuisine. | We don’t know how to cook. |
| Nous saurions faire la cuisine. | We would know how to cook. |
| Nous ne saurions pas faire la cuisine. | We would not know how to cook. |
Vous
| Vous savez choisir. | You know how to choose. |
| Vous ne savez pas choisir. | You don’t know how to choose. |
| Vous sauriez choisir. | You would know how to choose. |
| Vous ne sauriez pas choisir. | You would not know how to choose. |
Ils / Elles
| Ils savent gagner. | They know how to win. |
| Ils ne savent pas gagner. | They don’t know how to win. |
| Ils sauraient gagner. | They would know how to win. |
| Ils ne sauraient pas gagner. | They would not know how to win. |
