Mi hermana sabe preparar una tortilla de patata.

My sister knows how to make a potato omelette.

Breakdown of Mi hermana sabe preparar una tortilla de patata.

• una: a
• mi: my
• de: of
• la hermana: the sister

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana sabe preparar una tortilla de patata.

Why is it mi hermana and not la mi hermana?

In modern standard Spanish, possessive words like mi, tu, su, nuestro usually go directly before the noun without an article:

• mi hermana = my sister
• tu casa = your house

Using an article as well, like la mi hermana, is not normal in standard Spanish.

Why is there no subject pronoun like ella?

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• sabe = he/she/it knows or he/she can

So Mi hermana sabe... already clearly means My sister knows... / My sister can..., and adding ella would usually be unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

What does sabe + infinitive mean here?

Here, saber + infinitive means to know how to do something.

So:

• sabe preparar = knows how to make / can prepare

This is different from saber meaning to know a fact:

• Sé la respuesta. = I know the answer.
• Sé cocinar. = I know how to cook.

In this sentence, it is the know how to meaning.

Why is preparar in the infinitive?