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Non so niente delle nuove valigie.

Non so niente delle nuove valigie.
I do not know anything about the new suitcases.
From Lesson 243:Feminine noun plurals in -cia and -gia (-ce, -ge)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Non so niente delle nuove valigie.

Why does valigie keep the 'i' in its plural form?
The singular form is valigia. The rule for feminine nouns ending in unstressed -gia or -cia depends on the letter right before the ending. Since the -gia here is preceded by a vowel (the first i in valigia), the word keeps the i in the plural to become valigie. If it were preceded by a consonant, like in spiaggia (beach), it would drop the i to make spiagge.
Why do we use both non and niente in this sentence?
Italian frequently uses double negatives. When a negative word like niente (nothing/anything) comes after the verb, you must also place non before the verb. It translates literally to 'I do not know nothing.'
Why does 'about the' translate to delle here instead of using a word like sulle?
When using the verb sapere (to know), talking 'about' a topic or having knowledge 'of' something is usually expressed with the preposition di. Here, di combines with the feminine plural article le (for valigie) to form the articulated preposition delle.
Could I use conosco instead of so in this sentence?
No, because of the phrase niente di (anything about). Sapere is used to know facts or information, while conoscere means to be personally familiar with a noun. You could say Non conosco le nuove valigie (I am not familiar with the new suitcases), but once you are talking about knowing facts 'about' them, you must use sapere.

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