Ways to Say "I don't know" - Level Up Your English Conversation

英文口說 — 講不知道的幾種方式

Hi, I'm Martin.

嗨，我是Martin。

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

歡迎來到Oxford Online English！

I’ve got a question: when’s my birthday?

我有一個問題：我的生日是什麼時候？

I’ve got another question: how do you spell ‘miscellaneous’?

我有另一個問題：您怎麼 拼寫“miscellaneous”？

What’s one thousand and twenty four times forty-six point eight?

46點8的1024倍 是多少？

How high is Mount Everest, to the nearest centimetre?

聖母峰精確到公分的高度是多少？

Probably, you don’t know the answer to all these questions.

有可能您不知道所有問題的答案。

That’s OK!

那還好！

No one knows everything.

沒人知道所有事情。

But, how can you say ‘I don’t know’ in English?

但是，您怎麼用英文來說 “I don’t know”？

Of course, you can just say ‘I don’t know.’

當然，您可以只說“I don’t know.”

But, fluent English speakers use many different words and phrases, even for simple ideas like

但是，英文講得流利的人運用很多 不同的單字和片語，即使是

this.

像這樣的簡單想法。

This video is part of our ‘level up’ series.

這個影片是我們的“level up”系列的一部分。

Are you bored of using the same phrases again and again?

您是否煩惱一而再，再而三的 用同一個片語？

Do you want to use a wider range of language in everyday conversations?

您想在日常口說裡用到 更多講法嗎？

This lesson will help!

這節課會幫助您！

Don’t forget to check out other videos in our ‘level up’ series, too.

也不要忘記我們的“level up” 系列裡的其他影片。

Another thing: don’t forget to turn on subtitles if you need them!

另一件事：如果您需要看字幕， 不要忘記打開它。

This video has English subtitles; click the ‘CC’ button on the video player to turn

這個影片有英文和中文字幕； 點擊影片播放軟體上的“CC”

them on.

按鍵打開它們。

Are you ready for your class?

您準備好上課了嗎？

Let’s begin!

我們開始吧！

Have you seen my phone?

您看到我的行動電話了嗎？

I’ve been looking for it everywhere!

我在四處找它！

Dunno where it is.

不知道它放哪裡了。

Are you sure?

您確定？

I thought I left it in here.

我覺得我把它放在這裡了，

How am I supposed to know?

我怎麼會知道？

It’s your phone!

那是您的電話！

Well I can't leave without it.

好吧，我離不開它。

When was the last time you used it?

您最後一次用它是什麼時候？

Mmm, I dunno…

嗯，我不知道…

I sent some messages this morning.

今天早上我有發了一些簡訊。

I’m pretty sure it was in here.

我很肯定它是在這。

‘Dunno’ is a contraction and it is used informally.

“Dunno”是一個縮讀字， 它是非正式的用法。

Use it when speaking to people you know well.

在您和很熟的人說話時，用它。

You should probably avoid using ‘dunno’ in more formal situations

您有可能要在很正式的環境裡避免用

because it can sound like you’re not so interested in what the other party is asking

“dunno”，因為那聽起來會像是您對對方在問

you.

您的事情不感興趣。

You might also write ‘dunno’ in informal messages or emails.

您也可能在非正式的簡訊或電郵裡寫“dunno”。

If someone asks you a question and there’s no way you could know the answer, you could

如果某人問您一個問題， 您無法得知，您可以

say something like ‘How am I supposed to know?’

說某些事情像是“How am I supposed to know?”

This has more information than just ‘I don’t know’.

這比只說“I don’t know.”有更多的資訊。

It says ‘I don’t know, and why do you think I would know?’

它是說“I don’t know, and why do you think I would know?”

It expresses frustration, so again, it’s not something you would generally use if you

它表達了消極的意思，所以同樣， 如果您想更有禮貌，

want to be polite.

一般來說，那不是您要用的東西。

That doesn’t mean that it’s rude!

那並不意味著它是粗魯的！

It’s just that you should be aware of the situation when choosing your language.

那只是在您選擇您的講法時 您要了解情形。

Where’s that vase that use to be on the table?

放在桌上的花瓶 怎麼不見了？

There was a vase…?

有一個花瓶？

I haven’t got a clue.

我完全不知道。

I didn’t even notice it was missing!

我甚至沒注意到它不見了。

How is that even possible?

這怎麼可能？

It was right there on the table.

它之前就在桌子上。

I’m sorry, you know I don’t really pay much attention to these kinds of things.

我很抱歉，您知道我真的沒有 很注意這類事情。

Wow, you *really* don’t have a clue, do you?

喔，您*真的*不知道，真的嗎？

‘I haven’t got a clue’

“I haven’t got a clue”

emphasises that you don’t know something.

強調您不知道某些事情。

Use this to add some strength to the basic idea of ‘I don’t know’.

用這個來增加“I don’t know” 原意的強度。

‘Have got’ and ‘have’ are used in the same way, so you can say ‘I haven’t

"Have got"和“have”的使用方式相同，所以您可以說 “I haven’t

got a clue’ or ‘I don’t have a clue’.

got a clue”或“I don’t have a clue."

They’re both possible and they have the same meaning.

它們二者都有可能用到， 它們有相同的意思。

This scratch is new!

這個刮痕是新的。

Didn’t I tell you to be careful with my car?

我沒告訴您要小心我的車嗎？

I *was* careful!

我*有*小心！

I have no idea how it happened!

我不知道那是怎麼發生的！

Did it happen at the shopping centre, do you think?

那是在購物中心 發生的嗎，您覺得呢？

I’m so sorry.

我很抱歉。

I really have no idea!

我真的不知道。

I was extra careful the whole time!

我一直都額外小心！

Well, you’d better pay for the repair.

好，您最好支付修理費。

‘I have no idea’ is another strong phrase, which you can use to add emphasis.

“I have no idea”是另一種很強的您 能用來加強語氣的片語。

If you want to make this idea even stronger, you could say ‘I really have no idea’

如果您想要這個意思更強烈， 您可以說“I really have no idea”

or ‘I don’t have the faintest idea’.

或“I don’t have the faintest idea”。

It’s been raining for days!

下雨好幾天了！

When’s it gonna stop?

它什麼時候會停？

Who knows?

誰知道？

It’s been so unpredictable lately.

最近真是變幻莫測。

I wonder if it’ll stop in time for the street party on Sunday.

我想知道它會不會在週日 街道晚會那個時候停。

Well, I suppose that’s anyone’s guess…

好，我想大家都這樣想…

‘Who knows?’

”Who knows?“

goes further than saying ‘I don’t know’ – it means that not only do *you* not know,

比講“I don’t know”更進一步 – 它意思是不僅*您*不知道，

but nobody could know the answer to this question.

而且沒人能知道這個問題的答案。

It’s often used to answer questions about the future.

那通常用來回答 關於將來的問題。

Imagine you have a friend who is very unreliable.

相像一下您有一個很不可靠的朋友。

This friend is always late.

這位朋友總是遲到。

You invited him for dinner, and of course he’s not on time.

您邀請他來晚餐，當然 他不會準時到。

When will he arrive?

他什麼時候會到？

Who knows?

誰知道？

Could be in ten minutes, it could be in two hours.

可能在10分鐘內，也可能 在兩個小時內。

There was a similar phrase you heard in the dialogue.

有一個您在對話裡聽到的 類似的片語。

Do you remember it?

您還記得嗎？

You heard ‘That’s anyone’s guess’.

您聽到“That’s anyone’s guess”。

This is also conversational, and is another way to say ‘no one could know the answer

這也是對話式的，是說 “no one could know the answer

to that.’

to that.”的另一種方式。

There are *so* many people coming next week!

下週有 *太*多人來了！

Do you think there’ll be enough chairs for everyone?

您舉得椅子會夠每人一張嗎？

Well, we still don’t have exact numbers, right?

好吧，我們仍然不知道 準確的數字，對吧？

So, your guess is as good as mine!

那麼，您想的和我想的一樣！

Let’s just get enough to fill the hall.

我們用足夠多的椅子填滿大廳。

What more can we do?

我們還能做什麼？

Mmm…

呃…

I’m really worried about it.

我真的很擔心。

Do you think people will enjoy the performance?

您覺得人們會享受表演嗎？

Who can say?

誰知道？

Everyone has their own tastes, right?

每個人有自己的品味，對嗎？

I just hope it goes well.

我只是希望一切順利。

We’ve put so much work into it.

我們投入太多工作在那上面了。

You heard ‘your guess is as good as mine’ and ‘who can say?’

您聽到“your guess is as good as mine” 以及“who can say?”

These are different ways to say ‘no one knows exactly what will happen in the future.’

這些是講“no oneknows exactly what will happen in the future.”的不同方式。

They’re common in conversational English.

它們是在對話英文裡常見的。

‘Your guess is as good as mine’ adds the idea that we’re both in the same position

“Your guess is as good as mine” 增加了我們雙方都不知道

of not knowing.

的意思。

This means: I don’t know, and you don’t know.

這意思是： I don’t know, and you don’t know.

Hey, I heard Sonja’s planning to move to Spain next year.

嘿，我聽到了Sonja明年要搬到 西班牙的打算。

Is it true?

那是真的嗎？

Not as far as I know.

我不知道耶。

I’m sure she’d have told me if she was planning such a big move.

我確定如果她在計畫一個這麼大的 遷移，她會告訴我。

Well, you two are quite close, right?

好，你們兩個關係很要好，對嗎？

So I guess maybe I misunderstood.

那麼我猜也許我誤解了。

I saw her last weekend, and she didn’t say anything…

我上個周末看到她， 她什麼也沒說…

Why would she move?

為什麼她要搬家？

It doesn’t make sense.

那沒有理由。

In the dialogue, you heard the phrase ‘not as far as I know’.

在對話裡，您聽到片語 “not as far as I know.

What does this mean, exactly?

這意思是什麼，準確的？

‘Not as far as I know’ is different from the phrases you’ve seen so far.

”Not as far as I know“與您到目前為止 所看到的片語不同。

It means ‘I don’t think so, but I could be wrong’.

那意思是”I don’t think so, but I could be wrong“。

The opposite is ‘as far as I know’.

反義是”as far as I know“。

So, if you ask someone ‘Does the train leave from this platform?’ and the person replies

所以，如果您問某人“Does the train leave from this platform?”，而那個人回答說

‘As far as I know’, what are they telling you?

“As far as I know”，他們 在告訴您什麼？

They’re saying that they think the train does leave from this platform, but they could

他們在說他們覺得火車已經離開 月台了，但是他們

be wrong.

可能錯了。

Why does Danny keep agreeing to take on her work?

為什麼Danny繼續同意 幫她做？

She should do her own work!

她要做她自己的工作。

I don’t get it, either.

我也不明白。

She’s not even nice to him.

她甚至對他也不是很好。

Maybe he’s just one of those people who just can’t say no?

也許他只是那些就是不能 說“不”的人當中的一個。

And what about her?

那她呢？

It beats me how people can expect other people to do their work for them.

人們怎麼可以指望別人來為他做他自己 要做的工作，我很困惑不解。

I know, right?

我知道，是嗎？

But, the management don’t seem to care.

但是，管理層好像不在乎。

They should have a word with her.

他們應該說一下她的。

Here’s a phrase you heard, but what’s the missing word?

這是您聽到的一個片語， 但是少了什麼單字？

The phrase was ‘I don’t get it’.

片語是“I don’t get it”.

This literally means ‘I don’t understand’, but here it also means ‘I don’t know why.’

這個字面上的意思是“I don’t understand”， 但是在這，它的意思也是和“I don’t know why.”

‘It beats me’ is similar.

“It beats me”相似。

It’s a conversational phrase which means ‘I have no idea why that is’.

它是一個會話片語，意思是 “I have no idea why that is.”。

You can also shorten it to: ‘beats me!’

您也可以縮略它成：“beats me!”

Who left the dirty dishes in the sink?

誰把髒盤子放在水槽裡？

How should I know?

我怎麼會知道？

I’ve only just come home.

我剛回到家。

Well who’s gonna clean it up?

好吧，誰要去清理它？

Don’t ask me.

不要問我。

Not my problem.

那不是我的問題。

That’s a nice attitude!

那是一個很好的姿態！

Well, you can take care of it if you want.

好吧，如果您想，您可以去處理它們。

Sometimes, phrases that literally mean ‘I don’t know’ can have other uses.

有時，字面上的意思是“I don’t know”的 片語可以有其他用法。

For example, in the dialogue you heard the question ‘how should I know?’.

例如，在對話裡，您聽到問題 “how should I know?”。

Is this a question which needs an answer?

這是一個要回答的問題嗎？

Not really!

不是真的！

It’s more an expression of annoyance, or dismissal.

那更多是一個煩惱或駁斥的表達。

It’s like saying ‘I don’t care’ or ‘it’s not my problem’.

那像是說：“I don’t care”或 “it’s not my problem”。

Sometimes, questions and responses are used more to express emotions than to exchange

有時，問題和回答用來 表達情緒要多過於

information.

交換資訊。

When using language like this, it’s important to control your intonation.

在使用像這樣的說法時， 控制您的語調是很重要的。

Even neutral language like ‘I don’t know’ can sound impolite if your intonation is unfriendly.

甚至是中性的說法，如果您的語調是不 友善的，像“I don’t know”可以聽起來不禮貌，

Now, let’s see if you can use the language you’ve seen in

現在，我們看看您是否能 運用您在本節課裡

this lesson.

看到的說法。

Hello, excuse me … do you know how much this costs?

您好，打擾 … 您知道這個值多少錢嗎？

Could you respond?

您可以回答一下嗎？

What did you say?

您剛才說什麼？

There are many possibilities.

有很多可能性。

You could just say one word – ‘dunno’ – though this might not sound polite!

您可以只說一個單字 — “dunno” — 儘管這可能聽起來不禮貌！

Let’s see how this might go in a real-life situation.

我們來看現實生活環境裡 這個可能會怎樣發展。

Hello, excuse me?

您好，打擾！

Do you know how much this costs?

您知道這個值多少錢嗎？

I’m afraid I haven’t got a clue!

恐怕我什麼都不知道！

Oh, I’m so sorry!

哦，我很抱歉！

I thought you worked here!

我以為您在這工作。

I think that lady just over there might be able to help you.

我覺得那邊的那位女士 也許可以幫到您。

Oh, great!

噢，很好！

Thank you.

感謝您！

Another point: if you want to soften your answer, add something

另一個要點：如果您想要您的回答 變得更柔和，添加某些

like ‘I am sorry’ or ‘I’m afraid’.

像是“I am sorry”或“I’m afraid”。

Just saying ‘I have no idea’ is quite direct,

只說“I have no idea”是很直接的，

which could sound rude in some situations.

在某些情形下聽起來很粗魯。

Saying ‘I’m sorry, but I have no idea’ or ‘I’m afraid I have no idea’ makes

說“I’m sorry, but I have no idea” 或“I’m afraid I have no idea”，

the phrase sound softer and more polite.

片語聽起來會比較柔和並更有禮貌。

So, you’ve seen many different ways to say ‘I don’t know’.

那麼，您看過了很多說”I don’t know“的不同方式。

Why not put your new skills to the test right now?

為什麼不把您的新技巧運用到測驗中？

Pause the video and try to complete the phrases.

暫停影片並用片語完成句子。

Could you do it?

您可以做到嗎？

Need more time?

要更多的時間？

You can take more time!

您可以用更多的時間。

Try to get as many answers as you can.

盡您所能，做更多的回答。

Let’s see the answers now.

我們現在看看答案。

How did you do?

您怎樣做的？

Did you get them all?

您全部都做好了嗎？

So, next time, instead of simply saying ‘I don’t know’ why not try ‘I have no idea’

那麼，下次，取代簡單地說“I don’t know”，為什麼不試一下

or ‘your guess is as good as mine’ or ‘beats me!’.

“I have no idea”或“your guess is as good as mine”或“beats me!”。

Even for simple ideas in English, like saying ‘I don’t know’, there are many ways

即使是簡單的英文意思，像是說 “I don’t know”，

to do it.

都有很多方式來表達。

You can express yourself more clearly by using a variety of language.

通過運用不同的說法，您可以 自己表達得更清晰。

I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson.

我希望您可以享受今天的課程。

Thanks for watching!

感謝觀看！

See you soon!

下次見！