🤷

How to Say ‘I'm not sure.’ in French

Je ne suis pas sûr.

zhuh nuh swee pah SOOR

[zhuh nuh swee pah SOOR]

💬 Usage Tip: A woman writes sûre, but it sounds exactly the same.

🇫🇷 In France: A soft way to push back on a colleague's idea. It opens discussion instead of saying a flat no.

Phrase Breakdown

Je ne suis

zhuh nuh swee

I am not

Start of the negation 'ne...pas'. Often spoken as 'zhuh nuh swee'.

Example

Je ne suis pas là.

I'm not here.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

[nuh]

not

Used to make a negative.

Example

Je ne sais pas.

I do not know.

suis

[swee]

First person singular present of 'to be'.

Example

Je suis fatigué.

I am tired.

pas sûr.

pah SOOR

sure.

'Pas' completes the negation. Use 'sûre' if you are female; it sounds the same.

Example

Tu es sûr ?

Are you sure?

Words in this phrase

pas

[pah]

not

Used with 'ne' to form a negative.

Example

Je ne comprends pas.

I do not understand.

sûr

[SOOR]

sure

Adjective meaning certain or confident.

Example

Elle est sûre de son idée.

She is sure of her idea.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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