Breakdown of Mi abuelo sabe podar las ramas sin dañar el tronco.
mi
my
sin
without
el abuelo
the grandfather
saber
to know how to
Questions & Answers about Mi abuelo sabe podar las ramas sin dañar el tronco.
Why is it mi abuelo and not mío abuelo?
Mi is the possessive adjective used before a noun: mi abuelo = my grandfather.
Mío is a possessive pronoun (or used after a noun for emphasis), so you would not normally put it directly before abuelo.
- mi abuelo = my grandfather
- un abuelo mío = a grandfather of mine
- este abuelo es mío = this grandfather is mine
So in this sentence, mi abuelo is the correct form.
What does sabe + infinitive mean here?
Here, sabe podar means knows how to prune.
Spanish often uses saber + infinitive to express knowing how to do something:
- Sé nadar = I know how to swim
- ¿Sabes cocinar? = Do you know how to cook?
- Mi abuelo sabe podar = My grandfather knows how to prune
This is different from saber meaning to know a fact:
- Sé la respuesta = I know the answer
In this sentence, it means he has the skill or know-how.
Why is sabe used instead of puede?