I don't know what he drank vs I don't know that he drank

Both phrases are correct, but they have different meanings and contexts. 'I don't know what he drank' is used when the speaker is unsure about the specific beverage consumed by someone. On the other hand, 'I don't know that he drank' is used when the speaker is uncertain about whether the person actually consumed any beverage at all.

Last updated: March 30, 2024 • 718 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"I don't know what he drank"

This phrase is used when the speaker is unsure about the specific beverage consumed by someone.

Examples:

I don't know what he drank at the party last night.
She said she was thirsty, but I don't know what she drank.
Can you tell me what he drank during the meeting?
I don't know what he drank, but he seemed to enjoy it.
What he drank is a mystery to me.

Show examples from the web [+]

I don't know. I drank, like, ten tons of SunnyD.
I don't know how you drank all those lattes and didn't wet yourself.
I don't know what his problem is but he drank all the time, and he hit your mother.
I don't know what you drank, but it must've been potent.
I don't know how I ever drank water without cucumber.
I think he was a priest, I don't know, I drank a lot of Rioja.
It's like when your foster dad goes to the fridge for another beer, but you know he drank the last one ten minutes ago.
I didn't know you drank bourbon.
What? I didn't know newspapermen drank.
I also didn't know what you drank, so I got you a beer, margarita and a Coke.
How do you know he drank here?
I didn't know anyone still drank Valpolicella.
I don't know what I was thinking.
I don't know what you have or...
I don't know what to say.
I don't know what the next thing is.
I don't know what the future holds.
I don't know what happened to her.
I didn't know that gurus drank.
I don't know what it contains, I don't know what it represents, I don't know what it is, but there are traces and shadows of it everywhere.

Alternatives:

I'm not sure what he drank.
I have no idea what he drank.
What he drank is unknown to me.
I can't tell what he drank.
I'm clueless about what he drank.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"I don't know that he drank"

This phrase is used when the speaker is uncertain about whether the person actually consumed any beverage at all.

Examples:

I don't know that he drank anything at the party.
She said she was thirsty, but I don't know that she drank anything.
Can you confirm that he drank during the meeting?
I don't know that he drank, but he was there the whole time.
That he drank anything is still a question.

Show examples from the web [+]

I don't know. I drank, like, ten tons of SunnyD.
I don't know how you drank all those lattes and didn't wet yourself.
I don't know how I ever drank water without cucumber.
I think he was a priest, I don't know, I drank a lot of Rioja.
I don't know what you drank, but it must've been potent.
I don't know what his problem is but he drank all the time, and he hit your mother.
I didn't know that gurus drank.
It's like when your foster dad goes to the fridge for another beer, but you know he drank the last one ten minutes ago.
I didn't know you drank bourbon.
What? I didn't know newspapermen drank.
How do you know he drank here?
I didn't know anyone still drank Valpolicella.
I don't know that we should.
I don't know that's right.
I only know that I drank from some kind of cup, Sire.
I don't know that it would have gone any different.
I don't know that he's suitable for her.
I don't know that it's really him.
Though how he knows that, I... I don't know.
I don't know that, sir.

Alternatives:

I'm not sure that he drank.
I have no idea that he drank.
Whether he drank is unknown to me.
I can't confirm that he drank.
I'm clueless about whether he drank.

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I don't know what he drank vs I don't know that he drank