Non lo so

[darkerhorse]

I know the expression "non lo so" meaning I don't know.

If the noun you are referencing is known to be feminine gender, for example "la casa" (the house) would it change to "non la so" or is it always "non lo so"?

How would you say "I don't know" when someone asks "Do you know the house"?

[bbivona]

Normally if someone asks you if you know the house, it would be "Conosci la casa?" The response would be "non la conosco."

[PippoM]

I'm not a linguist, but I'll try to give an explanation, in terms of my thought about the issue.
In Italian, we use (at least) two different verbs for English "to know".
"Sapere" is used above all for the knowledge of an event, a subject, or a question.
For instance:
Q:"Where was he born?" A:"Lo so, è nato a Roma" ("I know, he was born in Rome") or
"So chi ha scritto la Divina Commedia. E' stato Dante" "I know who wrote the Divine Comedy. It was Dante"
But for the knowledge of a person, or a place, we use "conoscere".
"Conosci Pippo?" "Do you know Pippo?" or
"Conosco Milano, perchè ci ho vissuto due anni" "I know Milan, as I lived there for two years"
We never say "So Milano" or "So Pippo", but, on the contrary, someone says "Conosco chi ha scritto la Divina Commedia" though I don't think it's strictly correct. Or, we can say "so l'inglese" as well as "conosco l'inglese".
Also, in Neapolitan dialect, "sapere" is used with the meaning of "conoscere", so Neapolitans happen to use "sapere" in the place of "conoscere" in their translated dialect (but it's not correct Italian).
Going back to your first question, if the noun you are referencing is feminine, we say "la conosco", or "la so".
In the case of the house, we say "conosco la casa".
I hope it was clear, though it's not easy...

[darkerhorse]

Pippo wrote:
Going back to your first question, if the noun you are referencing is feminine, we say "la conosco", or "la so".

Thanks. That's what I was asking about, lo versus la, not conoscere versus sapere. I understand the difference between the verbs.

[bbivona]

Pippo wrote:
Going back to your first question, if the noun you are referencing is feminine, we say "la conosco", or "la so".

Thanks. That's what I was asking about, lo versus la, not conoscere versus sapere. I understand the difference between the verbs.

I apologize. I read your question too literally.