German · Real conversations
Say you do not know naturally in German
It is useful to say when information is missing. Give a short honest answer, offer to find out if you can, or explain that you lack enough knowledge to form an opinion.
Three ways to say it
Ich weiß es nicht.
I don't know.
A simple honest answer when you do not know a fact.
Ich bin mir nicht sicher, aber ich kann es herausfinden.
I'm not sure, but I can find out.
Acknowledge uncertainty and offer a realistic next step.
Ich weiß nicht genug darüber, um eine Meinung dazu zu äußern.
I don't know enough about that to give an opinion.
Explain why you are not ready to give an informed opinion.
Avoid translating word by word
English 'find out' means obtain information, not locate something outdoors. The target-language phrase may use a verb for checking, asking, or learning; keep that information-seeking meaning.
See the difference in context
A question about a book's author
Wer hat dieses Buch geschrieben?
Who wrote this book?
Ich weiß es nicht.
I don't know.
Finding out an office's opening time
Weißt du, wann das Büro öffnet?
Do you know when the office opens?
Ich bin mir nicht sicher, aber ich kann es herausfinden.
I'm not sure, but I can find out.
Your turn
Someone asks for an opinion on an unfamiliar subject. Say you do not know enough about it to give an opinion.
Reveal a sample reply
Ich weiß nicht genug darüber, um eine Meinung dazu zu äußern.
I don't know enough about that to give an opinion.
This speaking goal in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
