This is the 5444th most frequent Portuguese word.
soubesse
"Soubesse" means "knew" or "had known," referring to the imperfect subjunctive form of the verb "saber" (to know).
The word 'soubesse' indicates a subjunctive form applied to a hypothetical situation.
Se eu soubesse o que aconteceu, poderia ajudar.
If I knew what happened, I could help.
In this case, 'soubesse' presents a desired knowledge state in subjectivity.
Ela gostaria que ele soubesse mais sobre o assunto.
She would like him to know more about the topic.
Here, 'soubesse' expresses an unreal past condition influencing a decision.