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Verb drill

Je ne sais pas, j’sais pas and chais pas: hear it, then write it

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Recognise three casual versions of je ne sais pas, follow what the speaker is unsure about, then restore four sentences to standard written French.

In short

Je ne sais pas means “I don’t know”. In conversation, you may hear je sais pas, j’sais pas or chais pas, sometimes close to [ʃɛ pa]. The negative meaning stays; standard writing keeps je ne sais pas.

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Two friends pause during a relaxed French conversation, one making a small uncertain shrug while another neighbour approaches.
A casual conversation can include je sais pas. Illustration: Atelier
Study first: the same message, different delivery
Written representationWhat it showsStandard writing
Je ne sais pas.The full negative.Je ne sais pas.
Je sais pas.Ne has been left out.Je ne sais pas.
J’sais pas.The vowel of je has also dropped.Je ne sais pas.
Chais pas.A casual pronunciation with an initial sound like ch.Je ne sais pas.

A full pronunciation is /ʒə nə sɛ pa/. Leaving out ne gives /ʒə sɛ pa/. When the vowel of je also drops, the neighbouring consonants can blend into [ʃ], giving a form close to [ʃɛ pa]. Speakers keep or reduce different parts of the phrase in different situations.

Keep listening after pas

Un mot nouveau
  1. Lina

    Tu sais ce que ça veut dire, ce mot ?

    Do you know what this word means?

  2. Marc

    Chais pas. On peut demander à Nora.

    I don’t know. We can ask Nora.

  3. Lina

    Bonne idée. Nora, tu peux nous expliquer ce mot ?

    Good idea. Nora, can you explain this word to us?

Je sais pas si elle vient.I don’t know whether she’s coming.

Focus: Uncertainty about a yes/no question.

Je ne sais pas si Nora vient ce soir.
I don’t know whether Nora is coming this evening.

Je sais pas à quelle heure on part.I don’t know what time we’re leaving.

Focus: Uncertainty about a specific detail.

Je ne sais pas à quelle heure on part demain.
I don’t know what time we’re leaving tomorrow.

The first sentence leaves Nora’s attendance open. The second leaves the departure time open. Neither tells you that the plan is cancelled. Keep the words after pas when you take notes: they say exactly what the speaker does not know.

How do French people say je ne sais pas in speech?

J’sais and chais are ways of putting speech on the page. The verb is still sais, the je form of savoir. For a work email or an ordinary written answer, restore je ne sais pas. Keep the rest of the message: changing the register should preserve its meaning.

In the drill, turn each casual sentence into standard written French. Type the whole sentence before the printed full stop. Keep accents in où and à. The first two openings sound alike, but où asks about a place and si means “whether”.

1 · Rewrite the whole sentence in standard French

  1. . (J’sais pas où est la clé.)
  2. . (Chais pas si elle vient.)
  3. . (Je sais pas ce que ce mot veut dire.)
  4. . (J’sais pas à quelle heure on part.)

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