Breakdown of El príncipe supo de la traición ayer.
de
from / of
saber
to know (facts) / to hear from (someone)
ayer
yesterday
el príncipe
the prince
la traición
the treason
Questions & Answers about El príncipe supo de la traición ayer.
Why does supo translate to "found out" instead of "knew"?
This happens because saber is a mental verb that changes its meaning depending on the past tense you use. When you use it in the preterite tense (supo), it focuses on the exact moment the action was completed. The exact moment you "know" something for the first time is when you "find out" or "discover" it.
How would this sentence change if the prince already had the knowledge beforehand?
If he already knew about it, you would use the imperfect tense: El príncipe sabía de la traición. The imperfect (sabía) describes an ongoing state of mind in the past, which translates as "knew." However, because this sentence includes ayer (yesterday), it points to a specific event that happened that day, making the preterite supo (found out) a much better fit.
Why use de here instead of sobre to say "about"?
Is supo an irregular verb?
Yes, saber is highly irregular in the preterite tense. Instead of a regular ending, its stem changes completely to sup- and it takes a special set of endings that do not use accent marks: supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supieron.
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