qui sait
/ki sɛ/
The French phrase for "who knows" is qui sait.
qui sait is used as a rhetorical expression to suggest that something is uncertain or impossible to predict, similar to how it is used in English. While it can be used as a literal question to ask for the identity of a person who possesses certain knowledge, it is most commonly used idiomatically to mean "it is impossible to say".
Meaning: rhetorical question: one doesn't know (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interrogative pronoun qui (who) and the third-person singular present tense of the verb savoir (to know), which is sait.
How do you pronounce it?
/ki sɛ/
Did you know?
- If you are being very dismissive or sarcastic, you might hear a person say qui sait? with a heavy shrug of the shoulders. In French culture, the physical shrug is often just as important as the words to convey that you truly do not care about the answer.
- In French, the verb savoir in qui sait refers to factual knowledge, whereas the verb connaître is used for being familiar with a person or place. You cannot substitute connaît into this phrase without changing the meaning entirely.
- While qui sait is the standard way to say 'who knows', if you want to sound more dramatic or poetic, you might see the phrase written as qui saurait in classical literature. This uses the conditional mood to suggest that even if one were capable of knowing, the answer remains elusive.
Examples in context
- Qui sait cela ?Who knows that?This sentence shows how to use qui sait to ask about a specific object.Tatoeba #1420393 by martin9, translation #276368 by CK
- Qui sait que tu as ceci ?Who knows you have this?This sentence shows how to use qui sait when asking about someone possessing an item.Tatoeba #5943404 by Aiji, translation #2892875 by CK
- Qui sait où il est passé.Who knows where he has gone.This sentence shows how to use qui sait regarding someone's location.Tatoeba #11649903 by Aiji, translation #4753836 by garborg
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are discussing if it will rain during their walk.
- ManonEst-ce qu'il va pleuvoir demain ?Will it rain tomorrow?
- LucasQui sait, le temps change vite.Who knows, the weather changes quickly.
- ManonTu as raison, Lucas.You are right, Lucas.
- LucasPrenons quand même un parapluie.Let's take an umbrella anyway.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “who knows” translations and entries qui sait, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
