Learn Hardcore French: Ce n'est pas grave.

Ce n'est pas grave.

It is not serious.

Breakdown of Ce n'est pas grave.

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Questions & Answers about Ce n'est pas grave.

What does each word in Ce n'est pas grave literally mean?

Word by word:

Ce – literally this or it/that. Here it’s a vague subject: It / That.
n' – the first part of French negation (ne), shortened before a vowel.
est – is (3rd person singular of être – to be).
pas – not (the second part of negation).
grave – serious, severe, important (in the sense of something being a big deal).

So literally: This/It is not serious, which in natural English is It’s not a big deal / It doesn’t matter / No problem.

Why is it ce n'est pas grave and not il n'est pas grave?

In French, ce and il can both translate to it, but they aren’t used in the same way.

Ce is used as a general, impersonal subject:
- Ce n'est pas grave. → It’s not serious. (about a situation in general)
- C’est bien. → That’s good.
Il usually refers back to a specific masculine noun already mentioned:
- Le problème n’est pas grave. Il n’est pas grave.
  → The problem is not serious. It is not serious.

In your sentence, you’re not pointing to a specific masculine noun; you’re reacting to some situation in general. That calls for ce, not il. That’s why Ce n’est pas grave is the natural, idiomatic form.

Do French people always say the ne in Ce n’est pas grave, or do they often drop it?

In everyday spoken French, people very often drop the ne:

Standard / careful: Ce n’est pas grave.
Everyday speech: C’est pas grave.

Both mean the same thing. The differences:

With ne (Ce n’est pas grave)
- More formal, careful, or written.
- Used in writing, news, formal speech, careful pronunciation.
Without ne (C’est pas grave)
- Very common in casual conversation.
- Sounds natural and fluent in everyday life.

So, you should recognize both.
When you’re speaking:

In casual situations: C’est pas grave is perfectly fine.
In exams / writing / very formal speech: keep the ne → Ce n’est pas grave.

Can I say just Pas grave by itself, and is that correct?

Yes, you’ll often hear Pas grave said on its own in conversation.

Grammatically, it’s elliptical: it leaves out C’est or Ce n’est pas, but native speakers understand the full meaning from context:

Full form: (Ce n’est) pas grave. → It’s not serious / No big deal.
Typical use:
- Someone bumps into you lightly → Oh, pardon !
  You: Pas grave. → No worries / It’s fine.

It’s informal, but very common and entirely natural in speech. You wouldn’t usually write it in a formal text, but in chats, texts, or casual dialogue it’s normal.

Does grave change for masculine/feminine or singular/plural in this expression?

In general, grave is an adjective, so:

Masculine singular: grave
Feminine singular: grave
Masculine plural: graves
Feminine plural: graves

So it does not change for gender, but it does take an ‑s in the plural.

Examples with nouns:

Un problème grave – a serious problem (m. sg.)
Une erreur grave – a serious mistake (f. sg.)
Des erreurs graves – serious mistakes (pl.)

In Ce n’est pas grave, there is no noun directly stated, so grave stays in the default masculine singular form. You don’t say Ce n’est pas graves in this fixed expression.

What’s the difference between Ce n’est pas grave, Ce n’est rien, and Ce n’est pas important?

They’re all reassuring, but with slightly different nuances:

Ce n’est pas grave.
- Most common reassurance after a small problem, mistake, or accident.
- Suggests: It’s not serious / It’s no big deal.
- Focuses on seriousness / consequences.
Ce n’est rien.
- Literally: It’s nothing.
- Downplays the event even more, as if it barely exists.
- Very common when someone is worried about bothering you:
  - Merci beaucoup ! – Ce n’est rien. → It’s nothing / Don’t mention it.
  - Or after a small hurt: Aïe ! – Ce n’est rien. → It’s nothing, you’re okay.
Ce n’est pas important.
- Literally: It’s not important.
- Focus on importance / priority, not necessarily seriousness.
- Used when ranking priorities or tasks:
  - Désolé, j’ai oublié d’envoyer le mail.
    – Ce n’est pas important. → It’s not important / Don’t worry about it.

In many everyday contexts, Ce n’est pas grave is the default, especially for: mistakes, accidents, delays, minor damage, small social errors, etc.

Is Ce n’est pas grave formal, informal, or neutral?

Ce n’est pas grave itself is neutral in register:

You can say it to friends, family, coworkers, your boss, strangers.
It’s perfectly fine in both spoken and written French.

What changes the register is how you say it:

Very neutral / standard:
- Ce n’est pas grave. (with the ne)
More casual:
- C’est pas grave. (dropping ne)
- Pas grave. (elliptical, very informal)

So the expression is neutral; you can adjust the form to be more formal or casual.

How do you pronounce Ce n’est pas grave?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA: /sə nɛ pa gʁav/.

Broken down:

Ce → /sə/
- Like suh.
n’est → /nɛ/
- Like neh, short e as in bed.
pas → /pa/
- Like pah.
grave → /gʁav/
- g: hard g as in go.
- r: French r, produced in the throat.
- a: like a in father.
- ve: consonant v, final e is silent.

Whole sentence, smoothly:
Ce n’est pas grave → sə nɛ pa gʁav

In fast, casual speech, Ce n’est pas often sounds like c’n’est pas or just c’est pas if the ne is dropped:

C’est pas grave → /sɛ pa gʁav/.

Can grave mean something different in other contexts?

Yes. Grave has several meanings in French:

Serious / severe (the meaning in your sentence)
- Une maladie grave – a serious illness
- Une erreur grave – a serious mistake
Low-pitched (for sound)
- Une voix grave – a deep, low voice
- Opposite of aigu (high-pitched).
Slang: very / really / extremely (especially in younger, informal speech)
- C’est grave bien ! – It’s really/so good!
- Il est grave sympa. – He’s really nice. (very colloquial)

In Ce n’est pas grave, you’re in meaning (1): not serious / not severe / no big deal.

Why is the negation split into n’ … pas around est?

French standard negation is two-part:

ne / n’ (before the verb)
pas (after the verb)

Pattern: ne + verb + pas

In your sentence:

ne (shortened to n’ before the vowel of est)
est (the verb être)
pas

So: Ce n’est pas grave.

This is the normal pattern for simple negation in French:

Je ne comprends pas. – I don’t understand.
Nous ne voulons pas sortir. – We don’t want to go out.

In spoken French, as mentioned, the ne is often dropped:

Je comprends pas.
On veut pas sortir.
C’est pas grave.

But in standard, careful French, the ne … pas frame is the rule.

When would I change the tense, like saying Ce n’était pas grave instead?

You change est according to when the situation happened or how you’re talking about it:

Ce n’est pas grave. – It’s not serious.
- Right now, in the present.
Ce n’était pas grave. – It wasn’t serious.
- Talking about a past situation that you’re describing or narrating:
  - Tu as eu peur, mais ce n’était pas grave.
    → You were scared, but it wasn’t serious.
Ce ne sera pas grave. – It won’t be serious. / It won’t be a big deal.
- Talking about the future:
  - Si tu es un peu en retard, ce ne sera pas grave.
    → If you’re a bit late, it won’t be a big deal.

The reassuring idea “not serious / no big deal” stays the same; only the time changes.