How To Say I Dont Know In French

Download Article

So you desire to say "I don't know" in French, but y'all don't know how to say that yous don't know how to say "I don't know." Never fear. Say "Je ne sais pas" (juh-nuh-say-pah) for a simple "I don't know," or acquire more circuitous phrases to communicate more deeply.

ane
Say "Je ne sais pas. " This translates directly to "I don't know [a specific thing]". Pronounce information technology as "juh-nuh-say-pah" or "shu-nu-say-pah". To pronounce the "je" like "shu", shape your rima oris like you are offset to "shush" someone, but carry on the "sh" sound past following with a audio almost halfway between "uh" and "ooo". This should audio something like "eu". The "ne" is similar: but replace the "sh" with a "n" sound.
- Notation: in modern spoken French, the "je" and "ne" ("I" and "don't") often glide together, so you may sound more authentic if y'all slur your syllables—as in, "jeun-say-pah," or even "shay-pah".^[1]
- If you want to be especially polite, say, "I don't know, sorry." In French, that'southward "Je ne sais pas, deslolée." Pronounce "desolée" as "dez-oh-lay".
- Conduct in mind that the negating "ne" is always used in written French, but is ofttimes dropped in informal spoken French. One might say to a friend, for instance, "Je sais pas," and hateful something like "I dunno."^[2]
2
Sympathise the function of each give-and-take in the phrase "je ne sais pas." "Je," ne," "sais," and "pas":
- "Je" is the start person field of study, or "I".
- "Sais" is the get-go person conjugation of "savoir", a verb which translates as "to know something". Always put the "ne" before the verbal tense and the "pas" after it.
- "Pas" loosely translates as "not".
- "Ne" doesn't really mean anything, and is more a formality of grammer that accompanies "pas". This is why a person speaking informally can omit the "ne" and simply say "Je sais pas."
Advertisement
iii
Use "Je ne sais pas" in a sentence. Add the specific thing that you don't know to the end of the phrase—this tin be a piece of information, or information technology tin can be a certain thing with which you are not familiar. Review 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 reply."
- "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 exercise." The "pas" is unnecessary in this example because the verb savoir is beingness used with a question give-and-take.

i

Say "Je ne comprends pas. " This means "I don't understand." Pronounce it "juh-nuh com-prond pah". This is a good phrase to utilise if you are trying to concord a conversation with someone in French, simply y'all but don't know how to translate something that they just said. If you say it politely, odds are your conversation partner will be agreement.
two
Say "Je ne parle pas (le) français. " This translates to "I don't speak French."^[3] Pronounce it "juh-nuh pahl-pah frahn-say". This is a good style to politely inform people that you aren't equipped to hold a chat in French. If you lot want to attempt to start a conversation with someone, however, you lot might just say "Je ne parle qu'united nations peu le français,"—"I merely speak a little French." Pronounce it "juh-nuh pahl koon pay-oo le frahn-say".
- If someone stops you on the Paris metro and starts speaking aggressively to you in frenzied French, you might be able to turn them away by looking confused and saying "Je ne parle pas français."
- If you're trying to impress your boyfriend'southward French grandparents, smiling and sheepishly say "Je suis desolée—je ne parle qu'united nations peu le français."
3

Say "Parlez-vous anglais? " This directly translates to "Do yous speak English?" Pronounce information technology "Par-lay-voo ahn-glay?"^[4] If you lot are learning French and you are still a beginner, you may come to a signal at which communicated efficiently is a matter of safe or great convenience. Depending on where you are, you may or may not discover someone who speaks fluent English—just this is all the same an important phrase to accept in your arsenal.
four
Say "Je ne connais pas cette personne/identify." This means "I don't know this/that person/place." Pronounce information technology "Juh-nuh-conn-eye pah." "Personne (pronounced "pair-sohn) means "person". "Place" (pronounced "plahss") means, quite literally, "identify".^[5]
- Add together a specific person or place proper noun to the end of the phrase to go far more than specific. For instance: "Je ne connais pas Guillaume," or "Je ne connais pas Avignon."
5

Say "Je ne sais quoi." This is an expression that ways "I don't know what." Je ne sais quoi is an indefinable, elusive quality, ordinarily positive and oft descriptive of someone'southward personality. The phrase is often colloquially interjected into English speech. For instance: "The actress had a certain je ne sais quoi that immediately charmed everyone she met." Pronounce it "juh-nuh-say-kwa," and imitate a French accent if possible.^[6]

Add New Question

Question

How exercise I ask my friend in French why she doesn't want to talk to me?

Yous tin can inquire, "Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne veux pas parler avec moi?"
Question

How practice I understand French slang?

Read to acquire. Too, watch movies as many French movies utilise French slang regularly.
Question

How do I say "I didn't empathize what you meant nigh the colors"?

CredlyCrab

Customs Answer

It would exist "Je due north'ai pas compris ce que tu voulais dire à propos des couleurs."