Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| c'est pas grave | |
| ça ne fait rien | /sa n(ə) fɛ ʁjɛ̃/ |
| peu importe | /pø ɛ̃.pɔʁt/ |
You might use c'est pas grave to reassure someone who has made a small mistake, or peu importe to express that a particular detail is irrelevant to the situation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase c'est pas grave literally translates to 'it is not serious'.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on their nuance: c'est pas grave is a common way to say 'it's no big deal'. ça ne fait rien is slightly more formal and is used to politely dismiss a mistake or an apology. And peu importe expresses that something is irrelevant, often functioning like 'regardless of' when followed by a clause.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
c'est pas grave is the most common way to say 'it doesn't matter' in everyday spoken French, though it is informal because it omits the formal 'ne' found in 'ce n'est pas grave'. ça ne fait rien is slightly more formal than c'est pas grave. For a very formal way to express 'it doesn't matter', you can use ça n'a pas d'importance or ça n'a vraiment pas d'importance for 'it really doesn't matter'.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Ça ne fait rien.It doesn't matter.This sentence shows a simple use of ça ne fait rien.Tatoeba #373915 by zmoo, translation #37894 by CK
- Peu importe à qui la faute.It doesn't matter whose fault it is.This sentence demonstrates how to use peu importe with a clause regarding fault.Tatoeba #10970980 by lbdx, translation #4638692 by Hybrid
- Peu importe combien ça coûte.It doesn't matter how much it costs.This sentence demonstrates how to use peu importe with a clause regarding cost.Tatoeba #431638 by qdii, translation #5650945 by zumley
- Nous pouvons organiser la réunion demain ou la semaine prochaine, peu importe.We can schedule the meeting tomorrow or next week, it doesn't matter.
- Votre choix de couleur pour la décoration n'a pas d'importance, nous pouvons nous adapter.Your choice of color for the decoration doesn't matter, we can adapt.
- On peut aller voir n'importe quel film au cinéma, peu importe.We can watch any movie at the cinema, it doesn't matter.
- J'ai oublié d'acheter du pain, mais ça ne fait rien, je peux manger autre chose.I forgot to buy bread, but it doesn't matter, I can eat something else.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa accidentally spills a bit of water on the table.
- LéaOh pardon, j'ai renversé de l'eau !Oh sorry, I spilled some water!
- HugoC'est pas grave, je vais essuyer.It doesn't matter, I'll wipe it up.
- LéaTu es sûr que ça va ?Are you sure it's okay?
- HugoOui, vraiment, c'est pas grave.Yes, really, it doesn't matter.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “it doesn't matter” translations and entries ça ne fait rien, peu importe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries c'est, fait, grave, ne, pas, ça, ça ne fait rien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
