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Questions & Answers about Sapevo già la verità.
Why is "Sapevo" used here instead of the passato prossimo "Ho saputo"?
Sapevo is the imperfect tense of sapere (to know). We use the imperfect here because knowing the truth was an ongoing state in the past, not a single completed event. If you used the passato prossimo and said ho saputo, it would change the meaning to "I found out" or "I learned" the truth at a specific moment.
Why use "sapere" instead of "conoscere" for "to know"?
Does the adverb "già" (already) always go right after the verb?
Generally, yes. In simple, one-word tenses like the imperfect used here, common adverbs like già, sempre (always), and mai (never) go directly after the verb. In two-word compound tenses like the passato prossimo, they tuck right between the helping verb and the past participle.