They plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and stalactite?"
"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid.
I was wondering what the meaning of the sentence "I never know something" is? Does it mean "I have never been able to know something", or does it mean "I will never know something"? Why has the present simple tense been used in the sentence?
Best Answer
The use of the simple present tense indicates that a statement applies now.
The use of a modifier such as always or never indicates that the statement it modifies universally applies (always) or doesn't ever apply (never). It is usually used to indicate that the statement relates to a habitual or reoccurring state or action.
When different tenses are used with the modifiers always and never, subtly different meanings are implied.
So in your example, I never know implies that the situation has come up before, repeatedly, and Harry has not previously known, and still doesn't know.