Sei lidar com o problema.

the problem

Breakdown of Sei lidar com o problema.

• saber: to know how to
• lidar com: to deal with; handle

Questions & Answers about Sei lidar com o problema.

Why doesn’t the sentence include eu?

In Portuguese, the subject pronoun is often omitted when the verb already makes the subject clear.

• Sei = I know
• So Sei lidar com o problema already clearly means I know how to deal with the problem

You can say Eu sei lidar com o problema, but eu is usually only added for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

For example:

• Eu sei lidar com o problema, mas ele não. = I know how to deal with the problem, but he doesn’t.

What exactly is sei?

Sei is the first-person singular present tense form of the verb saber.

Conjugation of saber in the present:

• eu sei = I know
• você/ele/ela sabe = you/he/she knows
• nós sabemos = we know
• vocês/eles/elas sabem = you/they know

So in this sentence, sei means I know or more naturally I know how to.

Why is saber used here instead of conhecer?