Questions & Answers about Простите, я не знаю.
Is there a difference between простите and извините?
In everyday situations, like saying 'Sorry' or 'Excuse me', they are completely interchangeable. Both are used politely to apologize or to get someone's attention. Простите literally means 'forgive me', while извините is closer to 'excuse me'.
Why does простите end in -те?
The -те ending shows that you are being polite (formal) or speaking to more than one person. If you were apologizing to a close friend, a family member, or a child, you would use the informal version and just say прости.
Where is the word for 'do' in 'I do not know'?
Russian does not use 'helper' verbs like 'do' or 'does' to make a negative sentence. To say 'do not', you simply put the negative word не directly in front of the action verb (знаю).
Could I drop the я and just say Не знаю?
Yes, absolutely! In Russian, the verb ending (the -ю in знаю) already tells the listener that 'I' am the one doing the action. In casual conversation, native speakers often drop the pronoun and just say Простите, не знаю.