ich weiß nicht
The English phrase "I don't know" is translated into German as ich weiß nicht. Wiktionary also lists ich weiß es nicht and was weiß ich.
Meaning: I don’t know (intj)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| ich weiß nicht | |
| ich weiß es nicht | |
| was weiß ich | /ˌvas vaɪ̯s ˈɪç/ |
Which one should you use?
ich weiß nicht is often used as a general statement. In contrast, ich weiß es nicht specifically includes the pronoun es (it), making it more grammatically complete when referring to a specific fact or piece of information. The phrase was weiß ich is a colloquial idiomatic expression used to express indifference or to suggest that the speaker is not in a position to know or care about the matter.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word weiß is the first-person singular present tense conjugation of the irregular verb wissen (to know a fact).
Did you know?
- The word weiß in ich weiß nicht shares the same root as the word for the color 'white'.
- While English has one word for 'know', German uses wissen for facts and kennen for being familiar with people or places.
- If a German speaker says keine Ahnung, they are using a common alternative to ich weiß nicht that literally means 'no notion'.
Examples in context
- Ich weiß es nicht!I don't know!This example is useful for seeing how to say "I don't know!" using the form ich weiß es nicht.Tatoeba #10044525 by wolfgangth, translation #5128012 by Barra
- Ich weiß nicht viel.I don't know much.Tatoeba #10129026 by wolfgangth, translation #5157776 by CK
- Ich weiß nichts mehr.I don't know anything anymore.Tatoeba #13634808 by Naina, translation #8219073 by josivangoncalves
- 1439 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Julian are looking for a lost key.
- HannahJulian, weißt du, wo der Schlüssel ist?Julian, do you know where the key is?
- JulianNein, ich weiß nicht.No, I don't know.
- HannahHast du im Auto nachgesehen?Did you look in the car?
- JulianNein, das habe ich noch nicht gemacht.No, I haven't done that yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I don't know” translations and entries was weiß ich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, ich, nicht, was, was weiß ich, weiß, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
