How to Say ‘I have no idea’ in Italian
Che ne so
keh neh soh
[keh neh soh]
💬 Usage Tip: [Che ne so] literally has [ne], a little word that points back to 'about it/of it,' so the sense is 'what do I know about it?' You'll hear the same [ne] in [non ne so niente] = 'I don't know anything about it'.
🇮🇹 In Italy: This is very common in speech, but tone matters: it can sound like a neutral 'no idea' or a sharper, irritated 'how should I know?'.
Phrase Breakdown
Che
[keh]
What
'Che' is an Italian word used to ask 'what' in questions or to express surprise.
Che vuoi per cena?
What do you want for dinner?
ne
[neh]
of it
'Ne' is a particle that means 'of it' or 'about it'. It's used to replace prepositional phrases.
Non ne voglio più parlare.
I don't want to talk about it anymore.
so
[soh]
I know
'So' is derived from the verb 'sapere', meaning 'to know'. In this context, it means 'I know'.
Che ne so, forse domani.
What do I know, maybe tomorrow.
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