Ce n'est pas grave - Lawless French Expression

Essential French Expression


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Meaning	no problem, it’s OK, it doesn’t matter, don’t worry about it
Literally	it’s not serious
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[s(eu) neh pah grahv]
IPA		[sə nɛ pa gʀav]

Usage notes: Ce n’est pas grave is a very common French expression used to shrug off something that was said or done. It can acknowledge an apology, minimize a problem, or proclaim one’s wellness after a mishap.

Informally, it’s reduced to c’est pas grave (learn more) or even just pas grave.

Par exemple…

Ce n’est pas grave, on peut attendre qu’il s’en aille.		No problem, we can wait for him to move.
– J’ai perdu ton stylo. – Ce n’est pas grave, j’en ai d’autres.		– I lost your pen. – No problem, I have others.
– Oh, pardon, je ne t’avais pas vu ! – C’est pas grave.		– Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you! – It’s OK, no worries.

Texting abbreviation: CPG

Synonymous expressions

cela ne fait / présente aucune difficulté – it’s ok
il n’y a aucun mal – no harm done
peu importe – it doesn’t really matter
tout va bien – it’s ok (literally, “everything is going well”)

Informal
à l’aise ! – no prob! (literally, “easily”)
ça ne fait rien – it doesn’t matter (literally, "that does nothing")
ça va – it’s ok
ce n’est pas (c’est pas) grand-chose – it’s not a big deal
pas de problème – no problem
pas de souci – no worries
y a pas de lézard ! – no prob! (literally, “there’s no lizard”)

Formal
qu’à cela ne tienne – that is not a problem (literally, “upon that may it not depend”)