Meaning & use
je ne sais quoi
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Meaning
nounusually singularformal
An attractive quality that is difficult to name or explain exactly.
Grammar: Fixed phrase from French; usually singular with the article an or the: has a je ne sais quoi.
Patterns
- have a je ne sais quoi
- a certain je ne sais quoi
- add a je ne sais quoi to something
The little café has a je ne sais quoi that makes visitors linger.
Her voice lacks power, but it has a certain je ne sais quoi.
Common combinations
- a certain je ne sais quoi
- The old house has a certain je ne sais quoi at dusk.
- add a je ne sais quoi
- A squeeze of lemon adds a je ne sais quoi to the soup.
- lacking a je ne sais quoi
- The room is tidy but lacking a je ne sais quoi.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: je ne sais quoi or je ne sais pas?
je ne sais quoi vs je ne sais pas
Je ne sais pas means I do not know; je ne sais quoi is a set noun phrase meaning an indescribable quality.
Practice
Choose the natural completion.
Choose one answer.
The common pattern is have a je ne sais quoi. Omitting an or using a before the consonant sound je is ungrammatical, and the is not the normal generic pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “je ne sais quoi”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.