Expression library
« C’est pas pire »
How do you say “not bad” in Québec French? « C’est pas pire ». You’ll also see: « pas pire ».
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Heard
« C’est pas pire »
Literally
It’s not worse.
Means
Not bad. Pretty good. Said warmly, often with a nod, it is a real compliment.
Say back
« Pas pire. »
Not bad. (to « Comment ça va? »)
Captions on
Answer in the YouTube comments: How was your last coffee? Answer in Québec French.
« Pas pire » means « pas mal »: not bad, pretty good. « C’pas pire » is « c’est pas pire » said fast.
Watch it in a full episode
France and Québec
In France you’d say« pas mal »
In Québec you’ll hear« pas pire »
Usito gives « pas mal » as the meaning of « pas pire ». Both are correct French.
When to use it
Familier. Said flat it means “it’s OK”; said warmly it is praise.
Example lines
- « Comment ça va? Pas pire. »How are you? Not bad.Usito
- « Pas si pire. Pas trop pire. »Same meaning, two variants.Usito
Practise it
2 questionsWays to say it
| Québec | « C’est pas pire » Familier |
|---|---|
| Standard | « pas mal » Fine everywhere, including in writing. |
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Sources
Where the facts in the video come from.