Learn Italian: Dov'è il professore? Non lo so. - "Where is the professor?" "I don't know."

Dov'è il professore? Non lo so.

"Where is the professor?" "I don't know."

Breakdown of Dov'è il professore? Non lo so.

Questions & Answers about Dov'è il professore? Non lo so.

Why is there an apostrophe in Dov'è?

Dov'è is a combination of dove (where) and è (is). When a word ending in a vowel comes right before a word starting with a vowel, Italians often drop the first vowel and connect them with an apostrophe to make pronunciation smoother.

Why is the word lo used in Non lo so?

In English, we usually just say "I don't know." In Italian, you typically need to express "I don't know it." The word lo means "it" and stands in for the fact you were just asked about (where the professor is). Notice that the pronoun lo comes right before the verb so.

What verb is so, and why wouldn't I use conosco here?

so is the "I" form of the irregular verb sapere (to know). Italian has two verbs for "to know". You use sapere for knowing facts, skills, or information. You use conoscere for being acquainted with people or places. Since you don't know the fact of where he is, you use sapere.

How do I know if professore is masculine or feminine since it ends in "-e"?

The best trick is to look at the article (the word for "the") right before it! Nouns ending in "-e" can be either masculine or feminine in Italian. Because we see the masculine article il, we immediately know that professore is a masculine noun.