Non so se Marta può venire al bar alle otto.

I don't know whether Marta can come to the bar at eight.

Breakdown of Non so se Marta può venire al bar alle otto.

• io: I
• al: to the
• non: not
• potere: can

Questions & Answers about Non so se Marta può venire al bar alle otto.

Why is it non so and not something like so non?

In Italian, the basic negation word non normally goes before the verb.

• so = I know
• non so = I don’t know

So Italian says the negative in front of the verb, unlike English, which uses do not know.

Examples:

• Non capisco. = I don’t understand.
• Non parla inglese. = He/She doesn’t speak English.

What does se mean here?

Here se means if or whether.

In this sentence, it introduces an indirect yes/no question:

• Non so se Marta può venire... = I don’t know if/whether Marta can come...

This is very common in Italian:

• Non so se è vero. = I don’t know if it’s true.
• Mi chiedo se arriva oggi. = I wonder whether he/she is arriving today.

So this se is not about a condition like If it rains, I’ll stay home only; it can also mean whether.

Why is there an accent in può?