Imperfect vs preterite question,,

Question

They knew that Spanish search engine well. Ellos sabian / supieron ese buscador español bien.

I thought sabian is the answer.

Good question! - --Mariana--, Mar 24, 2013

Answer 1

You're right. In this case you'd use the imperfect because with the verb "saber" to know in the past is "sabían" and to find out "supieron." This is one of the verbs that change meaning in the imperfect and preterit.

I knew (lo sabía)

I found out (lo supe)

However, In your sentence, I would opt for the word "conocer" instead of "saber" because it means to be familiar with someone or something. "Conocer bien" means to know a subject well.