ça marche
/sa maʁʃ/
In French, "that works" is translated as ça marche.
The phrase ça marche has two main uses. It is a common way to agree to a suggestion or a plan, meaning "that is fine" or "that works." It can also be used literally to describe the mechanical functioning of a device, meaning "it is working."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the demonstrative pronoun ça (that) and the verb marcher (to walk or to work).
Which one should you use?
While ça marche is widely used to agree to a suggestion, in a very formal or professional context, you might use cela convient to say that something is suitable or convenient.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Ça marche is considered informal or colloquial and is best suited for use with friends, family or in casual workplace settings. For more formal situations, you can use Cela fonctionne.
How does it change in a sentence?
To negate the phrase and say "that doesn't work," place ne… pas around the verb to get ça ne marche pas.
How do you pronounce it?
/sa maʁʃ/
Did you know?
- In French, if a person is 'working' in the sense of being successful or popular, they might be described as marcher, as in cet acteur marche beaucoup.
- While ça marche is common in France, speakers in Quebec may use ça fonctionne more frequently in similar casual contexts to describe something that is effective.
- The word ça is a shortened version of cela, which itself is a combination of ce ('this') and là ('there').
Examples in context
- Une pizza ? Oui, ça marche.A pizza? Yea, that works.This example shows how to use ça marche to agree to a suggestion.Tatoeba #9075033 by lbdx, translation #919187 by FeuDRenais2
- Je ne comprends pas comment ça marche.I don't understand how that works.This example uses ça marche to describe the functioning of something.Tatoeba #548624 by sacredceltic, translation #5817441 by CK
- Si ça marche, je veux bien manger mon chapeau.If that works, I'll eat my hat.This example uses ça marche in a conditional statement.Tatoeba #10995153 by lbdx, translation #10982503 by sundown
- Nous avons testé la nouvelle méthode et cela fonctionne parfaitement.We have tested the new method, and that works perfectly.
- Nous avons essayé votre suggestion, et ça marche très bien.We tried your suggestion, and that works very well.
- Ta proposition est géniale, ça marche nickel !Your proposal is great, that works perfectly!
- J'ai juste à appuyer sur ce bouton, et ça fonctionne tout seul !I just have to press this button, and that works on its own!
- On a suivi ton conseil, et tout ça roule parfaitement !We followed your advice, and everything is working perfectly!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are deciding on a time to meet.
- GabrielOn se voit à dix-huit heures ?Shall we meet at 6 p.m.?
- ManonOui, ça marche pour moi.Yes, that works for me.
- GabrielParfait, on fait comme ça.Perfect, let's do that.
- ManonÀ tout à l'heure, Gabriel.See you later, Gabriel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ça marche, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries marche, ça, ça marche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
