# never mind, nevermind



## garole

Hi all,

I am just started to learn the general conversation in French and would like to know how to say "Never Mind" or "It's Ok".

By the way , does "Ca ne fait rien" mean "Never Mind"?

Thanks

*Moderator note: *multiple threads merged to create this one.  As a result, this is a long discussion that includes translations for many different meanings/contexts where one might say "never mind."  If you don't find what you need in the first few posts, keep scrolling.  The expression is two words, _never mind_, but is commonly misspelled as a single word.

For the comparative usage meaning "let alone, much less" please see never mind, nevermind / let alone.


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## Benjy

garole said:
			
		

> By the way , does "Ca ne fait rien" mean "Never Mind"?



yes and no. depends on the situation. if you want to say it doesn't matter as in "that doesn't change anything" then ça fait rien is perfect. if on the other hand you want to say it doesn't matter as in "drop it" "nevermind" you owuld say laisse tomber or something like that


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## la grive solitaire

These all mean, "Never mind" or "It's okay" (as in, "Don't worry about it" or "No problem"):

Ce n’est pas grave.

Ce n’est rien.

Il n’y a pas de mal.


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## xanana

I read somewhere on the forum that "Laisse faire" also convey's "Never mind". Not sure if that's specific to canadian french.


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## Syndie

xanana said:
			
		

> I read somewhere on the forum that "Laisse faire" also convey's "Never mind". Not sure if that's specific to canadian french.


Yes. Laisse faire and laisse tomber means the same


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## julieb01

Tout simplement, on peut aussi traduire "Never mind" par : "Tant pis !"


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## Nywoe

julieb01 said:
			
		

> Tout simplement, on peut aussi traduire "Never mind" par : "Tant pis !"


 
Here, we use "tant pis" to mean "too bad" or "your loss".

N.


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## lavinia_sterling

Bonjour,
le mot "nevermind" en francais est "ca n'a pas d'importance". As a native english speaker, it literally sounds like i'm saying "it's not important" which often leaves me with a different impression than if i had said "nevermind". 

For example, when I find it difficult to express an idea in french and want to drop the subject, I would have to say eg. "il est parti et je...ca n'a pas d'importance". But in english, it sounds like "he left and I...it's not important" which doesn't sound as normal as "and I... nevermind". Is the french example i gave sound perfectly normal?

thanks


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## NYCPrincesse

Welcome to the forum lavinia,

In the example you gave, I'd actually say, "laisse tomber" as in "il est parti et je...ah, laisse tomber."  More along the lines of "forget it."  It really depends on the context. I don't think there is one hard and fast rule, but best to let the natives tell you that.  

Also, isn't "never mind" two words?


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## gweched

Yes, "laisse tomber" is a good translation (but it's familiar). You can also say: "tant pis" or, in a higher language: "qu'importe".


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## lavinia_sterling

so, if i'm among friends/new acquaintances, and we're all teenagers at the university level, would "laisser tomber" be a good choice?


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## mapping

laisse tomber is very good in an informal context.
Also :  ah c'est pas grave! (rather colloquial too).

you can also combine the two : ah c'est pas grave, laisse tomber !
and that sounds very natural, very French!


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## orangenormal

Bonjour tout le monde!

Je vais essaie poser une question en français.
(Mon français est très mauvais encore, donc je apprécierais des corrections!  ) 

Hier soir, j'ai été dans un magasin de crème glacé (comment s'appelles-t-ils?) et j'ai demandé quelqu'un s'il y avait des cuillères, mais «mid-sentence» (en milieu de la phrase?) je les ai trouvé sur la table. J'ai voulu dire «never mind» en français. Comment dit-on cela?

Merci!


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## The_Traveling_Man

C'est sans importance!
Ca n'a pas d'importance!


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## pieanne

Oh, ça va, t'en fais pas!


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## Cath.S.

orangenormal said:


> Bonjour tout le monde!
> 
> Je vais essa*yer de* poser une question en français.
> (Mon français est *encore *très mauvais , donc *j'*apprécierais des corrections!  )
> 
> Hier soir, j'ai été *chez un glacier* et j'ai demandé *à* quelqu'un s'il y avait des cuillères, mais *au* milieu de la phrase je les ai trouv*ées* sur la table. J'ai voulu dire «never mind» en français. Comment dit-on cela?
> 
> Merci!


Bonjour Orangenormal,

_Cela ne fait rien / ça (ne) fait rien_
ou alors 
_Non, rien !_
J'aurais dit dans la même situation « Oh, non, rien, j'ai trouvé ce que je cherchais ».


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## pieanne

Non non, c'est bon!
Ok, ça va!
T'en fais pas, c'est bon!


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## Cath.S.

pieanne said:


> Non non, c'est bon!
> Ok, ça va!
> T'en fais pas, c'est bon!


_C'est bon_ est bon.


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## Herr Fixxxer

Dans la même situation, j'aurais dit : 

"Je n'ai rien dit, les voilà!" (--> meaning "forget what I just said, I found them")

En tous cas, je n'aurais surtout pas utilisé le "tu", à moins de connaître la personne à qui je m'adressais (en réaction à la proposition "ne t'en fais pas").


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## bernik

pardon, c'est pas la peine !


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## carolineR

never mind = _c'est pas grave !_ (informal)
je ne sais pas dire "c''est pas grave" en français 
more formal (and grammatically more correct) : _ça n'a pas d'importance_ or _ce n'est pas grave_


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## RileyAlicia

What is the best "stand alone" phrase for never mind? As if you're frustrated with something and you just want to say "never mind"?

(Je regrette, je ne sais pas beacoup de français)


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## geve

RileyAlicia said:


> What is the best "stand alone" phrase for never mind? As if you're frustrated with something and you just want to say "never mind"?


Caroline's post works well in this context.
If you want it to convey more irritation, maybe "laisse tomber"?


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## wildan1

or if you want to be cute (one of my faves):

_laisse béton_


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## piladong

Comment traduisez-vous "nervermind" dans une discussion ? ou à la fin d'une réplique ?


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Salut piladong,

Je dirais quelque chose comme : ce n'est pas important / ok, passons / n'en parlons plus...


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## words-slider

_"peu importe"_ is a better translation than _"tant pis"_, I think, and it is not familar. You can also say _"t'occupes"_. It is familiar, but less than _"laisse tomber"_. 
I think it works for your example lavina_sterling ... 
 Like others members I think it depends of the context ...


_"qu'importe"_ is a conceivable translation but does not sound "natural" to me with the example. _"oublis" _= _"forget it"_ literally, could be a good translation (I think). 

*"He left and I ... nevermind"* could be translated as
*"Il parti et je ... peu importe" *or
*"Il est parti et je ... oublis"* maybe the best translation I think (not familar)
*"Il est parti et je ... t'occupes"* but it is a bit familar

I hope it help 

PS : english is not my native language > my english isn't perfect !


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## Rihsjnap

Hey, 
Oui je suis d'accord avec les traductions : 
"peu importe" et "oublis". 
En revanche, en ce qui concerne "t'occupes", je dirais que cela signifie plutôt : "mêle toi de tes affaires" que "never mind".


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## verbivore

words-slider said:


> You can also say _"t'occupes"_.


Il me semblait que ça s'écrit "t'occupe", sans "s".


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## gillyfr

I agree with Rihsjnap regarding "t'occupes".  I would however use either "laisse tomber" or "c'est pas grave" in this context.


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## verbivore

Je crois que "Ça ne fait rien" peut convenir aussi bien que "peu importe" ou même "on s'en fiche", etc. Il y a plusieurs façons de l'exprimer.


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## beaujohn

What a pity 'nevermind' has no French equivalent, because it's so analagous to the Gallic shrug. I know the shrug can be used several ways, but isn't "oh, let's forget about it" a common one? 

"Never mind" and "forget it" are synonymous, both mean "don't keep it in your mind", in the sense of "let's not think about it anymore." 

Je suggère "Oof, gênons pas," accent sur "oof." 

~ beau


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## sankara

je suis étonné que personne n'ai proposé "enfin bref", qui me paraît être une bonne (voire la meilleure) traduction.


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## Aristide

_enfin bref !_


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## Salvatos

Je ne sais pas, pour moi « enfin bref » correspond plutôt à « anyway ». À la limite, je pourrais dire « Anyway, never mind / Enfin bref, laisse tomber ».

And by the way, "laisse tomber" ne me paraît aucunement trop familier (beaucoup moins que « t'occupe » ou « oublie », en tout cas).


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## Aristide

Ce qu'on dit parfois aussi, c'est: non rien.

Ou quelque chose du genre :
- excusez-moi, je n'ai rien dit.
- non, excusez-moi, ne faites pas attention


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## temple09

Hi,

I know that there are already a few posts with the same title, but I can't find the exact situation I am looking for, so I am unsure which option (if any) would be most suitable.
When speaking (very bad) French I often find myself going (metaphorically) down a one way street, when I don't have the vocabulary to continue, or to turn around and explain what I'm saying in a different way. I quite often then begin to realise that what I'm saying is really not interesting enough to justify the agony we are both suffering as I jabber nonsense. If I'm speaking to someone who understands English when I reach this point then I usually find myself pausing, smiling and and saying "Hmmmmmm ... never mind" in a chirpy way.
What would be a way to say this in French bearing in mind that I wish to display my embarrassed amusement at the situation. Or is this best displayed by the countenance rather than by any phrase (Just like in English)?
(P.s. Sorry for the very long explanation)


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## franc 91

ce n'est pas grave, je vais finir par arriver - il ne faut pas s'en faire


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## gonze

But how would one say "nevermind" when what they mean is that they have figured out the answer to a question they had asked someone.

For example: 

"How do you say 'nevermind' in French? Oh. _Nevermind!_ I found the answer on wordreference.com!"


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## Gil

Oublie ça.  J'ai trouvé ailleurs.


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