do you know what I'm saying
English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Often the composite of the constituent words, but see also the usage note.
Phrase
do you know what I'm saying?Category:English lemmas#DOYOUKNOWWHATIMSAYINGCategory:English phrases#DOYOUKNOWWHATIMSAYINGCategory:English multiword terms#DOYOUKNOWWHATIMSAYINGCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#DOYOUKNOWWHATIMSAYINGCategory:Pages with entries#DO%20YOU%20KNOW%20WHAT%20I'M%20SAYINGCategory:Pages with 1 entry#DO%20YOU%20KNOW%20WHAT%20I'M%20SAYING
- (informalCategory:English informal terms#DOYOUKNOWWHATIMSAYING) Used as a rhetorical question to confirm attention, understanding, or agreement at the end of an utterance or each segment thereof.
Usage notes
In sociolects that use this term frequently as an interjection with function equivalent to that of rightCategory:English links with manual fragments#DO%20YOU%20KNOW%20WHAT%20I'M%20SAYING or ehCategory:English links with manual fragments#DO%20YOU%20KNOW%20WHAT%20I'M%20SAYING (including but not limited to African American Vernacular English), it is often substantially contractedCategory:English links with manual fragments#DO%20YOU%20KNOW%20WHAT%20I'M%20SAYING and clippedCategory:English links with manual fragments#DO%20YOU%20KNOW%20WHAT%20I'M%20SAYING, even to the point that EFL learners might have difficulty recognizing it when they encounter it, such as /ˌnɒmˈseɪn/ and similar pronunciations (which leave out "do you" and "what" completely) or such as /ˌdʒijoʊwʌmˈseɪn/ and similar pronunciations (which leave out the /n/ of "know").
Synonyms
- you know?
- if you know what I mean (in one of its senses)
- nomsayin'