When learning Spanish as a foreign language it’s quite common you don’t know every single phrase, word or expression for every situation. No matter your level of Spanish, it’s ok not knowing all. No sé or I don’t know is a fixed expression that will help you a lot when in a Spanish speaking country or while holding a conversation with Spanish speaking friends. Sé comes from the verb saber or to know. It matches the 1st person singular.
If you are unsure or uncertain in a Spanish conversation, simply use No sé to show you don’t know how to say a word in particular, if you don’t know how to express yourself properly or if you simply don’t have the necessary information. Learning Spanish is a long process which requires some time and practice. Nobody will expect you to speak fluently in a couple of weeks or be familiar with every word from the dictionary.
Since there are thousands of words you won’t learn in the near future, simply say No sé to show your lack of understanding. Nobody will judge you. It’s better to say No sé instead of making up new words in a language you are trying to acquire. People will help you out, so by simply saying No sé you will learn new phrases from the other speakers on the spur of the moment.
Table of Contents |
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| 1. Variations of I don’t know | 2. I Don’t Know Yet |
| 3. How to say I Don’t Know | 4. How to Say I have No Idea |
Do you know there are three variants to say I don’t know in Spanish? The most common and used one is No sé or simply I don’t know. You may also use Yo no sé. Personal pronouns can be omitted in the Spanish language but they are present to emphasise the person. In this case, it is vos/tú who doesn’t know. Using this expression is to make emphasis on your lack of knowledge. No lo sé can be used to express you don’t know something. It is literally translated as I don’t know it. Lo replaces the object of the verb. If someone asks you: ¿Cómo se dice love en español? or How do you say love in Spanish? you simply use No lo sé instead of saying No sé love en español. Lo replaces the object of the verb which is love en español.
1 ¿Sabés algo de tu hermana? Do you know anything about your sister? 2 No sé nada de ella I don’t know anything about her 3 ¿Sabés como se dice Te amo en inglés? Do you know how to say Te amo in english? 4 No lo sé I don’t know it 5 Yo no sé inglés. Mejor habla tú I don't know english. You better talk 6 ¿Qué sabés de física? What do you know of physics? 7 No sé nada I don't know anything’
It is possible you don’t have the right information right now about a particular subject. You simply say todavía no sé or aún no sé which literally means I don’t know yet. In the Spanish language, aún and todavía are translated as yet. Both Spanish adverbs are used at the beginning of the expression. You can also use these adverbs to express doubt about particular subjects by adding lo or it.
1 Todavía no sé las partes del cuerpo en español I don’t know yet the parts of the body in Spanish. 2 Aún no sé de memoria el número de teléfono de mi mejor amiga I don’t know yet by heart my best friend’s phone number 3 ¿Sabés si mañana tenemos examen? Do you know if we have the exam tomorrow? 4 Todavía no lo sé I don’t know yet
For beginners, learning No sé cómo decir … or I don’t know how to say…. is a useful expression to ask advanced Spanish speakers or bilinguals about vocabulary they are unsure. The formula is pretty simple. You say No sé + cómo decir + the word or phrase you don't know in Spanish. In this case, students resort to spanglish but it is acceptable. Saying No sé cómo decir… is a good way to learn new vocabulary on the go.
1 No sé cómo decir I have fever en español I don’t know how to say I have fever in Spanish 2 No sé cómo decir ball en español I don’t know hot to say ball in Spanish 3 No sé cómo empezar una conversación en español I don’t know hot to start a conversation in Spanish 4 No sé cómo ser informal en español I don’t know how to be informal in Spanish 5 No sé cómo usar vos en una frase I don’t know hot to use os in a frase 6 No sé cómo dar instrucciones en español I don’t know how to give instructions in Spanish
No tengo idea/No tengo ni idea or I have no idea is the most common expression used when there’s no solution for a particular problem or the speaker is frustrated or disappointed about a situation. You simply say No tengo ni idea in an intimate circle of friends and family since it’s commonly used informally. So as to be more exaggerated you simply use No tengo ni la más pálida idea or I haven’t got the faintest idea. If you are angry, instead, you can say ¡Qué se yo! or ¡Yo qué sé! literally translated as What do I know? It is used to say you don’t have a clue on something. However, you use this expression when you are tired of being asked about something or you don’t simply care about the situation. It 's an idiomatic expression, near to slang. ¡Qué sé yo! can be considered a rhetorical question meaning What could I know about this? Absolutely nothing. It’s ok not to have the right answer for every question, especially in Spanish. It doesn’t matter if you know many phrases and expressions to show off in another language. What’s important, it’s your predisposition to keep up learning and to find a way to get by in Spanish. The learning process also involves uncertainty and to ignore many expressions in the target language. Acquiring No sé expressions also help you learn cultural values, a little bit of slang in Spanish and formal and informal ways of saying you don’t know something in particular.
1 Yo qué sé como resolver esto I have no clue how to resolve this 2 ¿Cuando te dan los resultados del exámen?- Yo qué sé. Deja de preguntarme a cada rato When do you get your exam’s results?- I have no idea. Stop asking me every time 3 No tengo idea donde queda el hospital I have no idea where the hospital is 4 Ni idea qué pasó aquí No idea what happened here 5 ¡Qué sé yo sobre autos! I don’t know anything about cars 6 No tengo la más pálida idea donde es la fiesta de casamiento I haven’t got the faintest idea where the wedding party is. 7 No tengo ni idea de lo que hablas. I have no idea what you are talking about
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