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Supimos la verdad cuando ella reveló el engaño.

Supimos la verdad cuando ella reveló el engaño.
We found out the truth when she revealed the deception.
From Lesson 329:Past tense meaning changes (conocer, saber, querer)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Supimos la verdad cuando ella reveló el engaño.

Why does supimos translate to 'we found out' instead of 'we knew'?
The verb saber normally means to know a fact. But when used in the preterite tense like supimos, it refers to the exact moment that knowledge was acquired. Because of this, it translates to 'found out' or 'discovered'. To say 'we knew the truth' as an ongoing state, you would use the imperfect tense: sabíamos.
Could I use the imperfect tense revelaba instead of reveló?
Not in this context. The preterite reveló is used because the act of revealing the deception was a single, completed event. If you used revelaba, it would imply she was in the process of revealing it, or she used to reveal it repeatedly, which doesn't fit the sudden discovery of the truth.
Is the noun engaño related to a verb?
Yes, el engaño means the deception, trick, or fraud. It comes directly from the verb engañar, which means to deceive or to trick.
Is the pronoun ella mandatory before reveló?
It is not strictly mandatory because the verb ending tells us it is a third-person subject, but it is highly recommended here. Because the first part of the sentence is about 'us' (supimos), adding ella clearly and immediately signals the change of subject for the second action.

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