Ce n'est pas important.

to be

Breakdown of Ce n'est pas important.

• ne ... pas: not
• important: important
• ce: this

Questions & Answers about Ce n'est pas important.

Why is ce used here instead of il or elle?

In French, ce can act as an impersonal subject when describing a general statement or situation. It doesn’t refer to a specific noun. Il or elle would imply a specific person or object, but ce is more neutral and is common in expressions like Ce n’est pas important, C’est incroyable, etc.

Is there a difference between Ce n’est pas important and C’est pas important?

They mean essentially the same thing. C’est pas important is just a more casual spoken version with the ne left out. Written French usually retains n’est pas to be grammatically complete, but in everyday conversation, dropping the ne is common and still understood.

Why do we write n’est instead of ne est?

French contracts ne and est into n’est when forming the negative. This is a standard contraction in French grammar. You’ll see the same pattern with verbs like avoir (e.g., n’a), so ne est becomes n’est to make the sentence flow smoothly.

How do I pronounce Ce n’est pas important correctly?

• Ce sounds like suh (a soft “s”).
• n’est is pronounced roughly like neh (the “t” is silent).
• pas is pronounced pah.
• important is pronounced am-por-tan (the t at the end is somewhat nasalized).
Overall, it flows as suh-neh-pah-am-por-tan.

Can I use this sentence in both formal and informal contexts?

Yes, Ce n’est pas important is appropriate in both formal and informal settings. If you want to sound more casual in speech, you could say C’est pas important, but for writing or more formal situations, it’s better to stick to Ce n’est pas important.