Take the fastest path to fluent French
In French, to express "it doesn't matter", you use a specific expression with the verb faire.
How to use the verb faire to express "it doesn't matter" in French
Look at these examples:
- Désolé, j'ai cassé ton stylo.
- Oh, ça ne fait rien.- Sorry, I broke your pen.
- Oh, it doesn't matter / it's no big deal / it's ok.
- Oh, ça ne fait rien.- Sorry, I broke your pen.
- Oh, it doesn't matter / it's no big deal / it's ok.
To say that It doesn't matter / It's no big deal / It's not a problem in French, you use the expression Ça ne fait rien (literally: "it does nothing").
Though less commonly used, you can also use the more elegant Cela ne fait rien.
The ne is often dropped with ça in casual speech (cela is always used in elegant speech, where you never drop the ne):
-> Ça fait rien.
-> Ça fait rien.
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
- Oh, ça ne fait rien.- Sorry, I broke your pen.
- Oh, it doesn't matter / it's no big deal / it's ok.
- Cela ne fait rien, tu me les rendras plus tard.I forgot to bring you your glasses!
- That's ok, you'll give them back to me later.
- Ça ne fait rien!- I'm not going to be able to come.
- It's not a problem!
- Ça ne fait rien, on va préparer autre chose.- Damn, I forgot the eggs!
- It's no big deal, we're going to make something else.