Learn French: C'est un petit malentendu, rien de grave. - It is a little misunderstanding, nothing serious.

C'est un petit malentendu, rien de grave.

It is a little misunderstanding, nothing serious.

Breakdown of C'est un petit malentendu, rien de grave.

petit

small / short

of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)

Questions & Answers about C'est un petit malentendu, rien de grave.

Why is there a de between rien and grave?

When you use indefinite words like rien (nothing) or quelque chose (something) followed by an adjective, you must connect them with de. So "nothing serious" becomes rien de grave. The adjective used in this structure is always in its masculine singular form.

Does malentendu literally mean "badly heard"?

Exactly! It is made up of mal (badly) and entendu (the past participle of entendre, to hear). Over time, this combination became a noun meaning a "misunderstanding".

Why do we use C'est here instead of Il est?

We use c'est because it is followed by a noun phrase that includes an article (un petit malentendu). You generally use c'est before a determiner (like un, une, le, la) plus a noun, whereas il est is used directly before an adjective.

Why does petit come before the noun instead of after it?

While most French adjectives follow the noun they describe, petit (small) is a common exception. It falls under the "BAGS" rule (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size). Short, common adjectives describing these four categories go before the noun.