Saber - "to know" or "to know how to"

Question

Ok so Gfreed pointed out the "Saber" means "to know how to" not just "to know". I am looking for confirmation in this. According to the translator "No sé conducir un coche" means "Do not drive the car" and "No sé como conducir un coche" means "I do not know how to drive a car". If saber means "to know how to" then shouldn't "No sé conducir un coche" mean "I do not know how to drive a car"? Thanks for your input.

You must know me pretty well if you know not to trust my advice without confirmation. :-) - 0074b507, DIC 13, 2009

You had understood it right from the the start. - Gekkosan, MAY 7, 2010

Answer 1

Yes, this is the problem with these machine-translation sites. In English we say "I don't know how to drive" but in Spanish you do not translate the "how" part. If you type your question into a machine translator, it will automatically translate the "how" into "como". Wrong! As the previous poster indicated, the correct translation is without the "como".

On the other hand, if you want to say something like: "I don't know how she does it!", you would need a "cómo" ..."no sé cómo lo hace!"

Answer 2

¨No sé conducir un coche¨ cannot mean ¨do not drive the car.¨ you are correct in saying that it means I do not know how to drive a car.

So, Saber does mean both ¨to know¨ and ¨to know how to.¨

Answer 3

Poder is a good additional choice for "know how to."

Puedo leer. Puedo conducir. Puedo tocar el piano. etc.

Answer 4

And remember:

saber hacer algo: to know how to do sth

saber algo: to know something

Answer 5

And a question I have heard and asked often: "¿Sabes leer?" which means "Do you know how to read?"

I believe it depends on context, and the object of Saber.

"Él sabe la historia de esta ciudad." would be "He knows the history of this city."

However, "Él sabe bailar." would be "He knows how to dance."

great , getting my post - 00494d19, DIC 14, 2009

Answer 6

"No sé conducir un coche" = "I do not know how to drive a car"

Yes , this would be the best translation.

Poder is a good additional choice for "know how to."

Puedo leer. Puedo conducir. Puedo tocar el piano. etc.

Sorry, Brett, this is not correct, we use saber here.

Answer 7

That's interesting. I wish our definition in the dictionary listed saber as such. Maybe I should buy one of those Franklin dictionaries. You know I held one in my hand at Best Buy the other day and got a price check on it...$79.99

más barato usar spanishdict :) - chambonada, DIC 13, 2009

Answer 8

From my Franklin translator:

Saber v t = 1. to know; 2. to know how to, to be able to; 3. to learn, to find out

Also I remember learning in class that saber does mean both to know and to know how to.

I usually try to remember that computer translations of sentences are not always correct, and I try to modify them based on what I know.