Someone said this in an article I read. I'm sure its French.
And no smart a#s answers please.
2006-10-30 12:01:50 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
I dont know what. That's what it means
2006-10-30 12:03:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It means, literally, " I don't know what". In other words, "I can't put a finger on it, but . . ." I have seen it used in writing like this: "She exudes a certain "je ne sais quoi" in her demeanor, and is very elegant and composed." Also, I have read, "The French have a certain "je ne sais quoi" about them when it comes to style."
You might find it listed in an English dictionary such as the Oxford Dictionary of English, as a foreign expression that has made its way into the English language.
I actually looked in The Concise Oxford French Dictionary under the word "quoi" in the French - English section. (It is a French -English and English - French dictionary.)
"Quoi" itself is a relative and an interrogative pronoun, meaning "what" or "which"; one of the expressions that goes along with the word "quoi" is "un je ne sais quoi", meaning, according to the dictionary: "something, a certain quality, a touch (of sth.)".
2006-10-30 12:09:29 · answer #2 · answered by spanner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"I don't know what." Something elusive that one can't put one's finger on. Something beguiling and alluring, which one can't find the word for. Perhaps a touch of class. One can't fail to be flattered if one is described as having a touch of "je ne sais quoi".
2006-10-30 12:56:38 · answer #3 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
By itself it means literally "I don't know"
If something has "a certain je ne sais quoi" it means it has "a certain something" (I don't know what)
2006-10-30 12:04:49 · answer #4 · answered by hot.turkey 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is French. I don't know the whole sentence but the first two words are this: I don't............Loosly translated "Je" means "I", and "ne" means "no".
2006-10-30 12:05:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Literally translated, it means "I don't know what..." It means it has a certain something that cannot be fully explained
2006-10-30 12:03:05 · answer #6 · answered by Clarkie 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Spanner has the right answer
2006-10-30 12:34:59 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go take a french class, then get back with us on that..
2006-10-30 12:05:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
It means "I don't know" in French.
2006-10-30 12:03:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
I don't know
2006-10-30 12:07:32 · answer #10 · answered by Jude M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋