No sé el motivo de su enfado, pero quiero hablar con ella con calma.

I don’t know the reason for her anger, but I want to talk to her calmly.

Breakdown of No sé el motivo de su enfado, pero quiero hablar con ella con calma.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• con: with
• pero: but

Questions & Answers about No sé el motivo de su enfado, pero quiero hablar con ella con calma.

Why is it sé with an accent?

Because sé is the yo form of saber in the present tense: yo sé = I know.

The accent distinguishes it from se, which is a pronoun used in many other structures, for example:

• Se llama Ana.
• Se vendieron todas las entradas.

So in No sé..., the accent is necessary.

Why is it No sé and not No conozco?

Spanish usually uses saber for knowing information, facts, or answers, and conocer for being familiar with people, places, or things.

Here, the speaker does not know the reason for the anger, so saber is the natural verb:

• No sé el motivo... = I don’t know the reason...
• No sé por qué está enfadada. = I don’t know why she is angry.

You would use conocer in sentences like:

• No conozco a su hermana.
• No conozco ese lugar.

Why does the sentence say el motivo instead of just motivo?