Learn French: Il vaut mieux ne rien dire. - It is better to say nothing.

Il vaut mieux ne rien dire.

It is better to say nothing.

Breakdown of Il vaut mieux ne rien dire.

not (used before the verb)

Questions & Answers about Il vaut mieux ne rien dire.

Since this lesson is about giving advice with tu devrais, why does this sentence use Il vaut mieux?

Il vaut mieux (it is better to) is another very common way to give advice in French. It is an impersonal expression, meaning it doesn't target a specific person like tu or vous. You can use it as a great alternative to tu devrais when you want to sound a bit softer or more general.

What verb does vaut come from?

It comes from the verb valoir, which means 'to be worth'. The phrase il vaut mieux literally translates to 'it is worth better', but it is the standard French way to say 'it is better'.

Why are ne and rien placed together right before the verb?

In French, when you negate a verb that is in its infinitive (unconjugated) form like dire, both parts of the negation stay together before the verb. So instead of wrapping around the verb (Je ne dis rien), they bunch up in front of it: ne rien dire. This rule also applies to ne pas.

Why isn't there a pas in this sentence?

The word rien (nothing) replaces pas. In French, you use the combination of ne and rien to say 'nothing' or 'not anything'. If you added pas, it would incorrectly create a double negative.