# FR: je (le) sais



## englishman

I notice that in the response to some questions a French speaker will answer:

"je sais"

and in reponse to others:

"je le sais"

but I don't understand the rule (if any) that requires the "le" to be present or absent. Is it something to do with referring back to a previous referent that has been mentioned, or is it personal taste, or what ?

*Moderator note: *multiple threads merged to create this one


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## Maître Capello

I'd say the only difference is that _je sais_ is a bit more colloquial than _je *le* sais…_


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## englishman

OK. So someone who wishes to speak in a formal manner can safely respond "je le sais" anywhere this makes sense ?


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## Maître Capello

Right. I think (hopefully I'm not too wrong ) this is similar to the English translation: _I know *that*_ vs. _I know_…


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## Areyou Crazy

i agree albert
I can't find any difference between 
I know it and je le sais
j'en sais rien I think means I don't know anything about it

In fact, I think one could say that 
*I know it* often suggests that the speaker wants to emphasise the fact that they know!


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## englishman

Maître Capello said:


> Right. I think (hopefully I'm not too wrong ) this is similar to the English translation: _I know *that*_ vs. _I know_…



Well, "je le sais" translates to "I know it", of course, but I can't think of any circumstance in English where "I know it" can be exchanged for "I know", whereas in French they seem to be totally interchangeable. 

I now await the horde of postings giving examples to contradict me ...


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## changsa

well, i think that "je le sais" is the translation of " i do know it"!! it emphasizes the verb... french speaker use "je le sais" when they are annoyed , because someone has already told them something... well, i hope this help a lil bit


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## Maître Capello

englishman said:


> but I can't think of any circumstance in English where "I know it" can be exchanged for "I know"



So in the below example, which one would you use?

— Smoking is bad for your health.
— I know (that/it).


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## Areyou Crazy

oh la la
I think *I know that *is often followed by but...
*I know it.. *you are right...


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## Ayoup

changsa said:


> well, i think that "je le sais" is the translation of " i do know it"!! it emphasizes the verb... french speaker use "je le sais" when they are annoyed , because someone has already told them something... well, i hope this help a lil bit



I partially agree. I rarely hear "Je le sais" alone in everyday speech. However, "*Ça* je *le* sais" is indeed used for emphasis and possibly to express annoyance of being reminded of something that you don't want/need to be reminded of. For extra emphasis, we add "ben". "Ben ça je le sais" or "Ben je le sais ça"(*).

(*) Even more emphasis? Use "Oh ben ça va... merci". "Oh ben ça va, je le sais, merci" !


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## changsa

well ,  i would say "i know that"... hard to explain why, maybe "i know that "is more american whereas "i know it" sounds more english to me.


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## KraftDinner

If we are trying to tell someone something that sounds crazy but is actually true, which one is more natural for spoken French ?

"C'est fou, je le sais. Mais c'est la vérité !" 
or 
"C'est fou, je sais. Mais c'est la vérité !" 
or do neither work (or do neither of them sound natural) ? 

merci d'avance


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## Maître Capello

Both are indeed possible, but we would rather use the latter…

_C'est fou, je sais. Mais c'est la vérité !_


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## detectivediana

Hi everyone,

When do you know when to use 'le' in terms of "je le sais" vs "je sais". Is "je le sais" saying "I know it" ONLY? What if someone said to me, "Il neige aujourd'hui", and I want to agree with the person? Would I say "je sais" or "je le sais", and why? What is the difference, exactly? 

Thanks!


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## quinoa

"Je le sais." est plus soutenu que "Je sais."


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## breagadoir

It's snowing!
I know (_je sais_)/ I know that (_je le sais_)


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## KennyHun

Would "ça je sais" also be possible in more relaxed speech vs. "ça je *le *sais" ?


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## Nawaq

KennyHun said:


> Would "ça je sais" also be possible in more relaxed speech vs. "ça je *le *sais" ?


 
Yes.


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