Saber Preterite Practice

Question 1

Ayer yo ___ que mi prima Valeria está embarazada. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supe. Ayer marks a completed event, so the preterite is needed: stem sup- + -e → supe, with no accent. In the preterite, saber means 'found out'.

Question 2

¿Cuándo ___ tú la verdad sobre el accidente? (saber)

Accepted Answer

supiste. Asking when someone learned a fact points to one completed moment, so the preterite fits: sup- + -iste → supiste. Careful: no final -s ('supistes' is a common error).

Question 3

Don Ernesto ___ la noticia por la radio esta mañana. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supo. Esta mañana frames a single finished event: he heard the news at one moment, so the preterite supo ('found out') is right; sabía would mean he already knew.

Question 4

Nosotros ___ del terremoto cuando llegamos al hotel. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supimos. Cuando llegamos pins the discovery to one past moment, so the preterite is needed: sup- + -imos → supimos, 'we found out'.

Question 5

Los vecinos ___ del incendio por los gritos en la calle. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supieron. Learning about the fire happened at one specific moment, so the preterite applies. The plural form is sup- + -ieron → supieron.

Question 6

Anoche yo ___ que cancelaron el concierto de Juanes. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supe. Anoche signals a completed past event: the preterite supe means 'I found out'. Note the strong stem sup- and the accentless ending -e.

Question 7

Camila ___ la fecha de la boda hace dos días. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supo. Hace dos días dates the discovery to a specific past moment, so the preterite supo is correct — she learned the date then, she didn't already know it.

Question 8

Tú ___ el resultado del examen antes que nadie. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supiste. Getting the result 'before anyone else' is a single completed event, so the preterite fits: supiste, built on the irregular stem sup-.

Question 9

Nosotros no ___ quién ganó el concurso hasta el lunes. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supimos. Hasta el lunes marks the exact point when the knowledge finally arrived, a completed change, so the preterite supimos is required.

Question 10

Mis tíos ___ de la herencia por una carta del abogado. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supieron. The letter delivered the news at one moment, so the preterite is needed. Mis tíos is plural: sup- + -ieron → supieron, 'they found out'.

Question 11

¿Vosotros ___ lo del despido antes de la reunión? (saber)

Accepted Answer

supisteis. The question asks whether the news reached them before one specific event, so the preterite fits. The vosotros form is sup- + -isteis → supisteis.

Question 12

De repente yo ___ que algo andaba mal en casa. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supe. De repente ('suddenly') is a classic preterite trigger: the realization hit at one instant. Supe here means 'I suddenly knew / realized'.

Question 13

La policía ___ del robo gracias a una llamada anónima. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supo. La policía is grammatically singular in Spanish, so the form is supo. Strong preterites carry no accent — 'supó' with an accent is a typical mistake.

Question 14

Los estudiantes ___ sus notas el viernes por la tarde. (saber)

Accepted Answer

supieron. El viernes por la tarde dates the event precisely, so the preterite applies: supieron, 'they found out their grades' at that moment.

Practice.