November 29, 2020/ Jim Fricker II
Have you ever had the opportunity to speak to a native Spanish-speaker only to be totally lost in the stream of words coming out of their mouth? What do you do in those situations? Understanding spoken
Spanish can be incredibly difficult when you’re caught off guard. Fret no more. In this article, you will learn seven ways to say "I don't understand" in español. This is one simple word to say, "what?" Say that with a confused look on your face, and you will definitely relay the message that you didn't understand what the other person said. 2. ¿Me lo puedes repetir, por favor? - Could you repeat that, please?Sure, you're not exactly saying that you didn't understand, but it gets the message across that you need them to repeat a certain part. 3. Otra vez - AgainYou're just saying “again” with this one. Very short, very simple. It gets the point across that you didn't understand what was being said. 4. No entiendo - I do not understandThis is the classic way to say “I don't understand” in Spanish. You can also say, "no entendí," which means "I did not understand."  5. Una vez más, por favor - One more time, please / Again, please.This is synonymous with the phrase "otra vez," but just a different way to say it. 6. ¿Qué dijiste? - What did you say?This is a pretty straightforward phrase that means, "What did you say?" If you're talking to someone older or someone you want to show more respect to, you would use the formal you and say, "qué dijo?"
Improve your Spanish fluency now! Learn the five best tips and techniques that you can start using today. 7. Más lento, por favor - Slower please.If you think the person you are having a conversation with is talking too fast, you can ask him or her to repeat what they said, but slowly. Remember that in Spanish, it is important to use a rising intonation at the end of the sentence to differentiate that you are asking a question. Our AdviceDon't be afraid to admit that you don't understand. Mastering these seven phrases will help you buy time to process what you just heard, hear it again, and better communicate with native Spanish-speakers. What’s your favorite phrase? Let us know in the comments! You might also enjoy reading about different ways to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish. If you’re learning Spanish, at some point, you may need to say that you don’t know something in Spanish. Since knowing how to do this will allow them to express their doubts faster, many Spanish learners wonder how to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish. Depending on the situation, there are some common expression that speakers use to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish:
Even though all these expressions are very common ways to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish, some of them may be more suitable for certain situations than others. As a result, in the following sections, we’ll explain to you when and how to use each one of these phrases. Additionally, we’ll provide you with phrase structures and examples of how to apply these expressions in real-life situations. By the end of this, you’ll have different options to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish. 1. No sé – I don’t knowIn Spanish, no sé is the direct translation of ‘I don’t know’. As a result, this is one of the most common and standard ways to express that you don’t know something in Spanish. As a standard term, ‘no sé’ can be used in all Spanish speaking countries in both formal and casual situations. This expression can be used alone as a response to someone’s question or you can use it as a way to express that you don’t know something.
Additionally, you can use no sé to mention the thing or subject that you don’t know. Notice that you can conjugate the verb to match any tense you may need: No + [ saber conjugated] + que + [info] No supe que teníamos que venir de blanco Maestra, no sabíamos que el examen era hoy Lana, ya te dije que no sé donde están tus llaves Take Note: No lo sé is a variation of ‘no sé’. It can be translated as ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t know it’. Even though they can be used as synonyms, ‘no sé’ is slightly more common than ‘no lo sé’. 2. ¡Sepa! – Who knowsIf you want to learn more casual expressions to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish, ¡sepa! may be one of your best options. In this context, ‘¡sepa!’ is a Spanish word that we use to say ‘I don’t know’ in casual conversations. As a result, it’s closer in meaning to the expressions ‘who knows’ and ‘I don’t know’. As an expression, ‘¡sepa!’ doesn’t need to be conjugated and you can use it as a way to respond to someone’s questions or to introduce the thing or subject that you don’t know. Here are some examples:
If instead of answering to a previous statement you want to create a sentence that mentions the thing or subject you don’t know, you need to follow this structure: Sepa + [questioning word] + [info] Sepa quién es esa señora ¿No encontraste tus llaves? Sepa dónde estarán Ben vino hace rato, pero sepa qué quería Variation:
3. Ni idea / No tengo idea – No ideaBoth ‘ni idea’ and ‘no tengo idea’ are polite and standard expressions that we use to express that we don’t know something in Spanish. These phrases can be translated as ‘no idea’ or ‘I have no idea’. Even though it’s not a rule of thumb, ‘ni idea’ tends to be more commonly used as a way to respond to someone’s statement or answer their question. On the other hand, ‘no tengo idea’ can be used both as a response or as a way to mention the things you don’t know. [No tengo idea] + de + [questioning word] + [information] No
tengo idea de quién es Alicia ¡Déjame en paz! No tengo idea de qué estás hablando
4. ¡Sabe!Another popular way to say ‘I don’t know’ in conversational Spanish, it’s by using the word ¡sabe! This expression is very similar to ‘¡sepa!’, but it’s not as informal as this word. ‘¡Sabe!’ is usually applied to answer a question or statement that is being presented right now. This phrase can be translated as ‘who knows’ or ‘ I don’t know’. Additionally, in some cases, it can also imply that the statement causes you some kind of surprise or confusion.
5. ¡Quién sabe! – Who knowsQuién sabe is another common way to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish. Even though it’s a standard expression, ‘quién sabe’ tends to be more popular in casual conversations. Additionally, this phrase is used to express that you don’t know something or to answer someone’s questions. [Quién sabe] + [questioning word] + [info] ¡Quién sabe qué pasó en la casa de la
vecina! No he visto tu cartera, quién sabe dónde la habrás dejado
Take Note: Something to keep in mind when using this expression is that, in other contexts, quién sabe can be used to ask if someone knows something. However, in that situation, ‘quién sabe’ would always be used as a question and it would have further information. 6. No lo conozco / No conozco – I don’t know itIn Spanish, no conozco and no lo conozco can be translated as ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t know it’. But even though these phrases seem to be synonyms with the phrases we’ve learned so far, the truth is that, in Spanish, ‘no conozco’ and ‘no lo conozco’ are used for other purposes. ‘No conozco’ is used to express that a person doesn’t know another person, object or place. And ‘no lo conozco’ is used for the same purpose with the only difference that with this expression you need to mention the person, object or place you’re talking about. No [conocer conjugated] + a + [person] Lo siento, no conozco a tu prima, ¿quién es? Nosotros no conocemos muy bien a nuestro jefe porque siempre está de viaje No [conocer conjugated] + [place] Todavía no conozco México No conocemos tu casa porque nunca nos has invitado
Related Resource: What’s the Difference Between Saber and Conocer Wrapping UpKnowing how to say I don’t know in Spanish not only will allow you to express your doubts, but it will also allow you to express that you’re in the dark about a certain topic or situation. Since these types of situations are very common in all languages, in this article, we compiled these different expressions that you can use to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish. Additionally, we provided you with the most appropriate contexts to apply these expressions as well as some examples that you can use as guidance.Hopefully, now you have a better idea of how to say ‘I don’t know’ in Spanish. How do you say I dont know what to do in Spanish?no sé qué hacer
(No machine translations here!)
How do you say I dont know what you are saying in Spanish?No sé qué dices.
How do you say I don't know what to talk about in Spanish?No tengo idea de que estás hablando. I have no idea what you're talking about.. No tengo idea de lo que estás diciendo. ... . No tengo idea de qué pasó. ... . No estoy seguro de si voy a ti. ... . No estoy seguro de lo que dices. ... . No estoy seguro de nada. ... . Quién sabe si lograré ir. ... . Honestamente, quién sabe.. What is Yo No comprendo?I don't understand.
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I don t know what to say in spanish
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