How to say "I don't know" in Arabic
New wordMeaningI don't know
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
لَا أَعْرِفُ
lā aʿrifuלא אערף
لا أعرف
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
אני לא יודע
ani lo yode'aأَنِي لُو يُودِئَا
How the two words are related
New word
No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.
Arabic root
ع-ر-فLearn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
مَا بَعْرِف
mā baʿrifמא בערףb- marks the present: mā baʿrif.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
مِش عَارِف
mish ʿārifמש עארף'not knowing'; a girl says mish ʿarfa.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
مَا عْرفْتْش
mā ʿreftshמא ערפתשDarija says 'I didn't know': mā ʿreftsh.
In a phrase
لَا أَعْرِفُ الْجَوَاب
lā aʿrifu l-jawābלא אערף אל-ג'ואבI don't know the answer.