Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| je ne sais pas | /ʒə n(ə) sɛ pa/ /ʒə n(ə) sɛ pɑ/ |
|
| je sais pas | informal |
je ne sais pas is the most straightforward and commonly used translation of "I don't know" in French.
Which one should you use?
In spoken French, the ne is almost always dropped, making je sais pas the standard way to say "I don't know" in casual conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The full form je ne sais pas is required in formal writing or highly polite speech, whereas je sais pas is the colloquial standard. Other options include the formal Je l'ignore. (I ignore it), the formal and emphatic Je n'ai aucune idée. (I have no idea), and the formal J'ignore la réponse. (I don't know the answer). For a more relaxed tone, you can use the informal J'en ai aucune idée. or the short, informal Aucune idée. In very casual settings, you might hear the casual J'en sais rien. (I know nothing about it) or the colloquial contraction J'sais pas.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase je ne sais pas follows the standard French negation pattern of placing ne before the verb and pas after the verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə n(ə) sɛ pa/
Did you know?
- The word pas in je ne sais pas originally meant 'a step'. The phrase literally implies you have not taken 'not a step' in the direction of knowing.
- In casual spoken French, people often accompany je sais pas with a quick shrug of the shoulders and a pout of the lips. This non-verbal cue is so strong that the phrase is sometimes omitted entirely.
- The formal alternative Je l'ignore uses the verb ignorer, which in English means to intentionally disregard someone. In French, it simply means to lack knowledge of a fact.
Examples in context
- Je ne sais pas !I don't know!Tatoeba #6965791 by Yemana, translation #5128012 by Barra
- Je ne sais pas où.I don't know where.Tatoeba #3627912 by fleur74, translation #2271869 by CK
- Je ne sais pas trop.I don't know exactly.Tatoeba #389075 by sysko, translation #2266936 by _undertoad
- J'en ai aucune idée.I have no idea.
- 962 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are talking in a kitchen.
- EmmaOù est le chat ?Where is the cat?
- HugoJe ne sais pas.I don't know.
- EmmaIl est dans le jardin ?Is he in the garden?
- HugoJe ne sais pas non plus.I don't know either.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I don't know” translations and entries je ne sais pas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, ne, pas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
