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How to Say ‘If you don't mind’ in French

Si ça ne vous dérange pas

see sah nuh voo day-RAHNZH pah

[see sah nuh voo day-RAHNZH pah]

🇫🇷 In France: This softens an instruction to a driver so it doesn't sound like an order. It's a useful cushion when you're overruling their suggestion.

Phrase Breakdown

Si ça

see sah

If it / if that

Say it as 'see sa'. Both words are short, so say them together smoothly.

Example

Si ça marche, tant mieux.

If it works, great.

Words in this phrase

[see]

A condition or supposition.

Example

Si tu le vois, dis-lui bonjour.

If you see him, say hello.

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.

ne vous dérange pas

nuh voo day-RAHNZH pah

doesn't bother you

'Dérange' sounds like 'day-ranzh', with a soft 'zh' at the end. 'Pas' sounds like 'pah'. 'Vous' is the polite 'you'.

Example

Le bruit ne vous dérange pas ?

The noise doesn't bother you?

Words in this phrase

[nuh]

(negation) not

Negation particle used with another negative word (ne… rien). In speech, it can be dropped, but it’s standard in writing.

Example

Ne me raconte rien sur l’anime, je veux garder la surprise.

Don’t tell me anything about the anime, I want to keep the surprise.

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

dérange

[day-RAHNZH]

bothers

Present tense of 'déranger', to disturb or bother.

Example

Le bruit dérange les clients.

The noise bothers the customers.

pas

[pah]

not

Used with 'ne' to form a negative.

Example

Je ne comprends pas.

I do not understand.

Guides for French learners

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.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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