- Forum >
- Topic: French >
- "Ça m'est égal."
48 Comments
according to another French speaking resource with native french speakers, "I don't care," while a common phrase in English, is considered somewhat rude. A more correct translation, according to the other resource, is "it doesn't matter to me."
I was counted wrong for "it is all the same to me," which is closer to the actual literal translation. Isn't the literal translation, "it/this is equal (meaning the same) to me?"
I was given credit for "It's all the same to me," which is the classic English translation for this classic French phrase. So duolingo must have seen the light.
I put "all the same to me" and it was rejected - I guess I was getting too conversational?
That's what I was thinking! But I guess egal meaning equal is a measurement. Still, you really have to stretch the imagination to see how the idiom fits. I'm gonna give duo the benefit of the doubt and pretend they are measuring the speaker's degree of giving a damn.
2211
When a word is introduced, it may have different meanings. The examples given in the exercises are not restricted to a single meaning of the word. You should expect to see the other uses so you don't only see one interpretation all the time.
It's not about that, he was referring as to why this phrase is in this particular unit. I guess it must be tricky or hard for some people trying to get the meaning of a phrase in the context of the unit, and then end up realising it was not about that at all anyway.
Metaphorically, you can measure/weigh two or more sets of circumstances and find them equal, so that it makes no difference which one occurs.
- 496
Yes agreed because it's related to 'equal,' which is a word on the Weights and measurements section on Tinycards.
Is this a polite way to say 'I don't care'. I know there are many rude ways...
I translated it a bit more literally as "It's all the same to me" which doesn't sound too rude.
- 2211
"I don't care" is not necessarily rude. But if you say it with a snarky attitude, then it's rude.
I am not a native English speaker, yet it's always been apparent to me that saying "I don't care" will most likely sound at least a little rude, even if you are trying to say it in a nice way... Again, as many have pointed out, "I don't mind" or "It's (all) the same to me" sound much more appropriate.
I don't care Can be rude, but it can also be humble and self effacing. It depends on tone, and Context. Rude example: "I love you." "I Don't Care!" Humble example: "Honey, you can't buy me this, we are saving this money for your new electric tool." "Aww heck, baby- I Don't Care. I'd rather buy you this necklace." Tone and Context.
I think "I don't care" is a bit too rude. "I don't mind" or "it's all the same" are better
I had put in simply, "it's all the same." That was not accepted because I missed the "…to me" in the translation. Is that truly grammatically incorrect since this is a cultural/common phrase ?
Translated, " I don't mind," is not rude at all. Context matters. Agreed?
"It makes no difference to me" was considered wrong, although I think it may fit the meaning quite well...
Ma pointe exactement. Logiquement:
If it's all the same, then it makes no difference - so who cares?
In English, all these basically mean the same.
Yes, the meaning is the same but there must be some basis in the actual words used, or else we would not have different ways of saying similar things to begin with.
- 2211
It is accepted as a natural and correct equivalence. I don't mind, It doesn't matter to me, It's all the same to me, It does not bother me...all convey the same meaning of "Ça m'égal".
- 21
Are you not able to see the suggested responses when you hover over the words? It showed the complete phrase for me, because it's an idiom.
I've heard francophone friends use "je m'en bats", from context I assumed it means roughly the same, but sounded a lot less polite... If any native speakers wander by and would like to clear this up for me, please do.
I'm making no objection to the idiom. My problem was coming upon it as spoken first. Had I seen one of the "translate this phrase" options, I would have remembered. Hearing it pronounced, I wrote "ça met égal." Of course, it's wrong; but I suggest any difference in pronunciation with the correct answer would be slight - and not discerned by these aging ears!!!
I learned this phrase in college a long time ago, but I have always wondered, how do I say something like "we don't care" or "he doesn't care?"
I remember trying something on a test such as "ça s'est égal" for "he doesn't care" but the teacher had no idea what i was trying to say.
What is the literal translation of this, however awkward? I am not understanding how it means "I don't care." Does "egal" not mean "equal"?
"Ça m'est egal" literally means "it is equal to me"
It translates well as "It is all the same to me." And it is also an accepted translation for this exercise.
I honestly don't know why the preferred translation is "I don't care." Even though it is a very commonly used expression in English, it can come across as rude, plus it doesn't use any of the same words.
It's okay by me... we were taught this one at primary school...... there are multiple translations, and DL only accepts two of them....?
I put "it is equal to me" and this was not accepted. Is this incorrect ? Or because it is unnatural? I'm not a native English speaker so I don't understand why.
That's not something you'd say in English. Remember that your answers are compared to a pre-decided list of correct answers, which won't be exhaustive. Your answer, though technically correct, wouldn't have been on the list.
Better answers would be:
It's all the same to me.
It's all one to me.
Another English equivalent is:
I'm easy.
Thank you for your comment. I think I understand . So, my answer was just like using a poor translation software which translates automatically ? (Do I make myself clear?)
Yes, your translation was too literal. "It is equal to me" means it has the same status, value, power or other quality as I do. Even then, however, we would use: It is my equal.
- 855
A more contemporary translation might be: "Whatever!" The tone of voice will determine if it is a rude reply.
- 197
I agree with many of the comments - Idioms should be in idioms and under measurement utilise sentences and phrases dealing with measurement
