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How to Say “I Don’t Know” in Turkish

The usual way to say “I don’t know” in Turkish is Bilmiyorum. It is neutral: safe in almost any situation. Below are 4 alternatives (informal, colloquial), an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.

In Turkish

Bilmiyorum

Literally
“I am not knowing”
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Neutralsafe in almost any situation

How Bilmiyorum is built

  1. bil-know
  2. -mi-negative
  3. -yor-present continuous
  4. -umI
Grammar guideNegation in Turkish: Verb Suffix -me/-ma, Değil, Yok and Negative Sentences →Grammar guideTurkish Present Continuous Tense (-iyor): Step-by-Step Conjugation Guide →Grammar guideTurkish Ability & Possibility (-ebilmek / -abilmek): Can & Could →Conjugate the verbbilmek (to know) →

Other ways to say “I don’t know”

  • BilmemInformal

    “I don’t know”

    Negative aorist; casual.

  • BilemiyorumNeutral

    “I can’t say”

    Softer: “I can’t really tell”.

  • Hiçbir fikrim yokNeutral

    “I have no idea”

    Emphatic.

  • Ne bileyimColloquial

    “how should I know”

    Can sound dismissive.

Example dialogue

  1. A

    Müze kaçta kapanıyor?

    What time does the museum close?

  2. B

    Bilmiyorum, internete bakalım.

    I don’t know, let’s check online.

Related phrases

All phrases →
I’m not sureEmin değilimNeutralMaybeBelkiNeutralI think soSanırım öyleNeutralI don’t understandAnlamıyorumNeutral

More opinions & agreement

“I don’t know” in Turkish: FAQ

How do you say “I don’t know” in Turkish?

The most common way is Bilmiyorum (literally “I am not knowing”), which is neutral: safe in almost any situation. You will also hear Bilmem (“I don’t know”): negative aorist; casual.

Is Bilmiyorum formal or informal?

Bilmiyorum is neutral, safe in almost any situation. For a informal alternative, use Bilmem (“I don’t know”).

What does each part of Bilmiyorum mean?

bil- = know; -mi- = negative; -yor- = present continuous; -um = I. Bilemiyorum (I can’t know) is a softer, very common way to express uncertainty.

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