How to Say “I don’t remember” in Italian

Mi è passato di mente.

Note: This article was written by a previous contributor - Rachel Vermiglio Smith. Rachel graduated with a degree in Italian language and literature. After falling in love with Italian art as well, she went on for a master’s in art history with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. You can follow her on Instagram @theitalianista.

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Cher and I are contacted frequently by our lovely readers who want to ask questions or just send us quick notes as a way to practice Italian (thank you by the way, we love your emails!).

In all these messages, we started to notice a theme. When someone can’t recall something in particular in Italian, they automatically switched to English to say, “I can’t remember” or “I don’t know.” 

This got us thinking… maybe it was worth adding those phrases to your studies, so you can keep the conversation flowing in Italian.

Next time, you find yourself struggling to recall a certain word or phrase, try these on for size.

Phrases

To express uncertainty:

• Non lo so. – I don’t know.

• Boh. – I don’t know (technically this is a sound, not a word per se, but you can learn more about it here).

• Non mi viene in mente. – It doesn’t come to mind (a word or phrase doesn’t come to mind).

• Devo pensare un secondo. – I need to think for a second.

• Aspetta un attimo. – Wait a second.

Phrase to actually say you don’t remember: