Do you want to learn how to say "I don't know" in French? No fear! You can use a simple sentence (i.e. Je ne sais pas) or memorize more complex expressions to entertain more elaborate conversations.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Je ne sais pas
Step 1. Say Je ne sais pas
Literally it means "I don't know". Hear the pronunciation here.
- Note: in the linguistic variant of modern spoken French, the words je and ne (respectively "I" and "not") are often pronounced smoothly and quickly, as if they were a single word. Consequently, if you mumble the syllables, your pronunciation may be more likely.
- If you want to be particularly polite and say "I don't know, I'm sorry", use the following expression: Je ne sais pas, désolé (pronounced.
- Consider that the negation is always used in written French, while it is often ignored in the informal register of the spoken language. For example, you can use the expression Je sais pas with a friend, which is a bit like saying "Boh!" in Italian.
Step 2. Understand the function of each word in the sentence Je ne sais pas
Here is a little grammar analysis:
- Je is the first person singular pronoun and means "I";
- Sais is the first person singular of the present indicative of the verb savoir, which means "to know". To elaborate the negation, the particle must always be inserted before the tense, while pas after.
- Pas means "no".
- It is a linguistic particle that is used in correlation with another negative particle, in this case pas. Consequently, when speaking in an informal register, it is possible to omit ne and simply say Je sais pas.
Step 3. Use Je ne sais pas in one sentence
Specify what you don't know at the end of the sentence, such as information you ignore or something you are unfamiliar with. Consider the following examples:
- Je ne sais pas parler français means "I don't know how to speak French";
- Je ne sais pas la réponse means "I don't know the answer";
- Je ne sais pas nager means "I don't know how to swim";
- Je ne sais quoi faire means "I don't know what to do". In this example it is not necessary to add the particle pas, as there is the pronoun quoi, which means "what".
Method 2 of 2: Other Useful Expressions
Step 1. Say Je ne comprends pas
It means "I don't understand". Hear the pronunciation here. This phrase can come in handy when you're trying to have a conversation in French but don't understand your interlocutor very well. If you express it politely, he will be sympathetic to you.
Step 2. Say Je ne parle pas (le) français
It means "I don't speak French". Hear the pronunciation here. It is a useful phrase to politely explain to your interlocutor that you do not have the linguistic preparation to carry out a conversation in French. If, on the other hand, you want to try to strike up a conversation with someone, you could say: Je ne parle qu'un peu le français. It means "I only speak a little French". Hear the pronunciation here.
- If you are in the Paris Metro and someone starts talking to you in an exaggerated and intrusive way, try to push them away by assuming a confused expression and saying Je ne parle pas français.
- If you have a French boyfriend and you want to impress his grandparents, smile and shyly say: Je suis désolée, je ne parle qu'un peu le français.
Step 3. Say Parlez-vous anglais? or Parlez-vous italien?. These questions respectively mean "Do you speak English?" and "Do you speak Italian?". If you have recently been studying French, in some cases you will need to communicate clearly and efficiently for reasons of safety or convenience. Depending on where you are, you may be able to find someone who is fluent in English or Italian. However, it is important to learn this phrase.
Step 4. Say Je ne connais pas cette personne / place
It means "I don't know this person / place". Hear the pronunciation here.
To make the phrase more specific, enter the name of a person or place. Examples: Je ne connais pas Guillaume or Je ne connais pas Avignon
Step 5. Say Je ne sais quoi
This expression means "I don't know what". It is a phrase also used in Italian to express that someone has a "certain I don't know what", that is an indefinable, vague, usually positive and often descriptive quality of an individual's personality. For example, you may have heard phrases like "That actress has a certain je ne sais quoi that immediately fascinates everyone who knows her." Hear the pronunciation here.
