Bedeutung
Admitting lack of information.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Czechs are known for being direct. Saying 'To nevím' is not seen as a failure, but as an honest assessment of the situation. In Czech academia, 'nevím' is the start of a hypothesis. It is respected more than a 'guessed' answer. When you don't know something, it's common to follow up with a suggestion of who might know. On social media, 'idk' is often replaced by 'nv' or simply 'netuším' for more emphasis on the 'cluelessness'.
The Shrug
Pair 'To nevím' with a small shoulder shrug for maximum native-like effect.
Don't over-negate
One 'ne-' is enough. Don't say 'To ne nevím'.
Bedeutung
Admitting lack of information.
The Shrug
Pair 'To nevím' with a small shoulder shrug for maximum native-like effect.
Don't over-negate
One 'ne-' is enough. Don't say 'To ne nevím'.
The 'To' is key
Including 'To' makes you sound much more natural than just saying 'Nevím'.
Honesty over guessing
It's better to say 'To nevím' than to give wrong directions in Czechia.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing word to say 'I don't know that.'
Kde je moje kniha? ___ nevím.
'To' is the standard neuter pronoun used in this expression.
Which verb is correct for knowing a fact?
___, kolik je hodin.
'Vím' is the 1st person singular of 'vědět' (to know facts).
Match the response to the question.
Kdo je ten muž?
Since the question is about a person, you must use 'znát'.
Complete the dialogue politely.
A: Nevíte, kde je pošta? B: ___, nejsem odtud.
'Bohužel' (unfortunately) adds a polite layer to the refusal.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenKde je moje kniha? ___ nevím.
'To' is the standard neuter pronoun used in this expression.
___, kolik je hodin.
'Vím' is the 1st person singular of 'vědět' (to know facts).
Kdo je ten muž?
Since the question is about a person, you must use 'znát'.
A: Nevíte, kde je pošta? B: ___, nejsem odtud.
'Bohužel' (unfortunately) adds a polite layer to the refusal.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
14 FragenYes, but 'To nevím' sounds more complete and natural in response to a specific question.
No, it's neutral. To be extra polite, say 'To bohužel nevím.'
'Netuším' is stronger, like 'I have no idea.'
Use 'To ještě nevím.'
'To' is the neutral pronoun used for abstract ideas or facts.
No, use 'Toho neznám' for people.
Say 'To jsem nevěděl' (male) or 'To jsem nevěděla' (female).
Yes, 'Nemám páru' is very common.
No, the 'vím' ending already tells us it's 'I'.
Say 'Nevím proč.'
Yes, in Slovak it's 'To neviem,' very similar!
Yes, it's perfectly fine for professional emails.
'Tato informace mi není známa.'
Like the English 'v' in 'very'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Netuším
similarI have no idea
Neznám
contrastI don't know (a person/place)
Bůhví
idiomGod knows
Nemám páru
slangI don't have a clue
To se uvidí
builds onWe will see
Kdo ví
similarWho knows
