what can I say

Meanings

phrasewhat can I say?

idiomaticIndicating that nothing that could be said would add to or improve the situation.
Near-synonyms: what can you do; it is what it is
1 more example
A: But it's written right there in the instructions! B: What can I say? We're not dealing with people who are good at reading, here.
Synonyms: what can I tell you, what can you do, it is what it is

phraseIndicating that nothing that could be said would add to or improve the situation.

Also see

Finnish mitä tähän voi sanoa?, mitä tuohon voi sanoa?

mitä tähän voi sanoa?indicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters
mitä tuohon voi sanoa?indicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters

French que veux-tu, que voulez-vous

que veux-tuindicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters
que voulez-vousindicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters

German was soll ich sagen

was soll ich sagenindicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters

Polish co tu dużo mówić, co tu dużo gadać

co tu dużo mówićindicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters
co tu dużo gadaćindicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters

Swedish vad kan jag säga?

vad kan jag säga?indicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters

Cite this entry

APA

what can I say. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20can%20I%20say

MLA

“what can I say.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20can%20I%20say. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what can I say,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20can%20I%20say.