c'est bon
In French, "that is good" is translated as c'est bon.
While c'est bon can mean "that is good," it is frequently used to signal that a quantity is sufficient or to tell someone to stop doing something (meaning "that is enough" or "that's fine"). It often refers to physical sensations, such as taste or sufficiency. Depending on your goal, you might also use c'est vraiment bien for "that is really good," c'est assez bien for "that is quite good" or "that is good enough," or c'est plutôt bien for "that is rather good."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase c'est bon is a contraction of ce (this/that) and est (is), followed by the adjective bon (good).
Which one should you use?
Use c'est bien to express that an action or a situation is morally good or satisfactory. In contrast, c'est bon often refers to physical sensations like taste or sufficiency.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify the degree of goodness by adding adverbs: C'est très bien. means "That is very good," C'est vraiment bien. means "That is really good" or "That is truly good," and C'est plutôt bien. means "That is rather good" or "That is pretty good."
Did you know?
- In casual French conversation, c'est bon is often used as a dismissive reply to end an argument, similar to saying 'whatever' or 'forget it' in English.
- If you tell a French speaker c'est bon about a piece of art or a professional achievement, you might accidentally imply it is merely 'adequate' rather than 'high quality'.
- The word bon is a direct descendant of the Latin bonus, which shared an ancient root with the word duenos in Old Latin.
Examples in context
- C'est bon pour moi.That is good to me.This sentence shows how to express that something is good to a person using c'est bon.Tatoeba #7388 by RaspaKrusto, translation #1121356 by cntrational
- C'est bon de voir tes parents.It is good to see your parents.
- C'est bon, tu as terminé ton travail.That is good, you have finished your work.
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are at a cafe eating a pastry.
- ChloéTu aimes ce gâteau ?Do you like this cake?
- GabrielOui, c'est bon !Yes, it is good!
- ChloéJe suis contente que tu l'aimes.I am happy that you like it.
- GabrielC'est une excellente idée de l'avoir acheté.It is an excellent idea that you bought it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, c'est, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
