How to Say “Not Good” in French

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pas bon
The English phrase "not good" can be translated into French as pas bon.
pas bon is used to describe something that is of poor quality or tastes bad. If you want to convey that something was specifically underwhelming or disappointing, you might use décevant. If you want to express that something is lousy or awful in an informal way, you can use nul. For expressing mild disappointment informally, the phrase pas terrible is also used.

Which one should you use?

While pas bon can be used in certain idiomatic constructions to mean "not good at something," its primary use is to describe the quality or taste of a thing. This contrasts with pas bien, which is used to describe how an action is performed or a state of being. For expressing disappointment, pas terrible is a specific informal alternative used to convey that something was merely not good.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

In casual spoken French, the ne in the formal construction ce n'est pas bon is frequently dropped, resulting in the informal c'est pas bon.

How does it change in a sentence?

The form changes to pas bonne if the noun being described is feminine.

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use pas bon to mean "not well" (for example, when saying "I am not doing well"). In that context, pas bien is the correct term to use.

Did you know?

  • Centuries ago, French speakers could say 'not' using words for other small amounts, such as goutte for 'a drop' or mie for 'a crumb'.
  • In French, describing a person as pas bon typically suggests they lack skill or talent at a specific task. To say someone is a 'bad person' in a moral sense, French speakers avoid pas bon and use méchant or mauvais.

Examples in context

  • Ce n'est pas bon.
    That's not good.
    Tatoeba #1112217 by sacredceltic, translation #1897802 by CK
  • Tu n'y es pas bon.
    You're not good at this.
    Tatoeba #4862684 by sacredceltic, translation #2545653 by CK
  • C'est pas bon du tout.
    That's not good at all.
    Tatoeba #11923209 by Odhran_Gwydhenn, translation #3724622 by CM
  • La nourriture dans ce restaurant n'est pas bonne.
    The food in this restaurant is not good.
  • Le service client était mauvais.
    The customer service was bad.
  • Le film était très décevant.
    The movie was very disappointing.
  • Le concert hier soir était pas terrible.
    Last night's concert was not good.
  • 66 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Manon and Gabriel are sharing a dessert at a cafe.

  1. Manon

    Tu aimes ton gâteau ?
    Do you like your cake?
  2. Gabriel

    Non, il n'est pas bon.
    No, it is not good.
  3. Manon

    C'est dommage, il est très beau.
    That's too bad, it looks very beautiful.
  4. Gabriel

    Oui, mais le goût est décevant.
    Yes, but the taste is disappointing.

Sources

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Dana Gracie
Dana GracieHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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