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How to Say ‘No thanks, I'm fine.’ in French

Non merci, ça ira.

noh mair-see sah ee-RAH

[noh mair-see sah ee-RAH]

🇫🇷 In France: Declining is fine, but a soft reason helps. Pairing it with a compliment or with saving room for dessert keeps the host happy.

Phrase Breakdown

Non merci,

noh mair-see

No thank you,

A polite refusal. 'Non' is nasal, and 'merci' is 'mair-see'.

Example

Non merci, je n'ai plus faim.

No thank you, I'm not hungry anymore.

Words in this phrase

Non

[noh]

Used to give a negative response.

Example

Non, je ne veux pas.

No, I don't want to.

merci

[mair-see]

thank you

A polite expression of one's gratitude.

Example

Merci pour votre aide.

Thank you for your help.

ça ira.

sah ee-RAH

I'm fine / that'll do.

Literally 'it will go'. It's a soft way of saying you don't need anything else. Pronounce it 'sa ee-ra'.

Example

Ne t'inquiète pas, ça ira.

Don't worry, it'll be fine.

Words in this phrase

ça

[sah]

that / it

Demonstrative pronoun used in everyday French to mean 'that' or 'it.'

Example

Ça me plaît quand une entreprise parle clairement.

I like it when a company speaks clearly.

ira

[ee-RAH]

will go / will be fine

Future of aller; 'ça ira' means 'that will do, I'm fine'.

Example

Ne t'inquiète pas, tout ira bien.

Don't worry, everything will be fine.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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