STOP saying “C’est bon” in French (and what to say instead)
C’est bon is fine, but French speakers have a more precise reply for each situation. Angeline shows you what to say instead when you mean “that works for me”, “it’s done”, “no thanks” or “no problem”.
What you will practice
- Notice what you actually mean before you reach for c’est bon.
- Learn one natural reply for each situation: plans, finished tasks, shops, apologies, explanations, food and drinks.
- Hear when c’est bon is still the right choice.
Try this after watching
Pick three replies from the summary below. Today, each time you’re about to say “okay” or “fine” in your head, say the precise French reply out loud instead.
Lesson notes and examples
Every example below comes from the video. The headings give the meaning you want to express, then the expression that says it best.
Quick summary
- Ça me va.That works for me.
- C’est fait.It’s done.
- Non merci, ça ira.No thanks, I’m good.
- C’est pas grave. / T’inquiète.No problem. / Don’t worry.
- Je vois. / Je comprends.I see. / I understand.
- Ça marche. / Parfait.Sounds good. / Perfect.
- C’est délicieux. / C’est trop bon.It’s delicious. / It’s so good.
- C’est bon, merci.That’s enough, thanks.
Ça me va — “That works for me”
- On se retrouve à 19 heures ?Shall we meet at 7?
- Ça me va.That works for me.
- On prend le train de 10 heures ? — Ça me va.Shall we take the 10 o’clock train? — That works for me.
- On mange italien ce soir ? — Ça me va.Shall we eat Italian tonight? — That works for me.
Use it for times, plans and suggestions.
C’est fait — “It’s done”
- Tu as envoyé le mail ? — Oui, c’est fait.Did you send the email? — Yes, it’s done.
- Tu as réservé le restaurant ? — Oui, c’est fait.Did you book the restaurant? — Yes, it’s done.
- Tu peux ajouter mon nom sur le document ? — Voilà, c’est fait.Can you add my name to the document? — There you go, done.
Voilà, c’est fait is what you say the moment you finish something.
Non merci, ça ira — “No thanks, I’m good”
- Une baguette et deux croissants, s’il vous plaît.A baguette and two croissants, please.
- Et avec ceci ?Anything else?
- Non merci, ça ira.No thanks, I’m good.
- Vous désirez autre chose ? — Non merci, ça ira.Would you like anything else? — No thanks, I’m good.
You’ll hear Et avec ceci ? in almost every French shop. Non merci, ça ira is simple, polite and natural.
C’est pas grave — “No problem”
- Désolé, je suis en retard. — C’est pas grave.Sorry, I’m late. — No problem.
- Pas de problème.No problem.
- T’inquiète.Don’t worry. (casual)
- Désolé, j’ai oublié de t’appeler. — T’inquiète, c’est pas grave.Sorry, I forgot to call you. — Don’t worry, it’s fine.
Answering an apology with c’est bon can sound a little abrupt, depending on your tone. In spoken French, c’est pas grave is far more common than the written ce n’est pas grave. Both are correct.
Je vois — “I understand”
- D’accord, je comprends.Okay, I understand.
- Je vois.I see.
- J’ai compris.I’ve understood.
- Tu prends cette rue, puis tu tournes à droite après la boulangerie. — Ah oui, je vois.You take this street, then turn right after the bakery. — Oh yes, I see.
Je vois works exactly like “I see” in English.
C’est délicieux — “It’s really good”
- Hmm, c’est bon !Mmm, it’s good! (perfectly natural for food)
- C’est délicieux.It’s delicious.
- C’est excellent.It’s excellent.
- C’est super bon !It’s really good!
- C’est trop bon !It’s so good! (informal)
- Goûte ce gâteau, il est trop bon !Taste this cake, it’s so good!
- C’est trop bien !That’s so good / that’s awesome!
Trop normally means “too much”, but in informal French c’est trop bon means “it’s so good”. It works beyond food too.
Ça marche — “That’s perfect / sounds good”
- Je passe te prendre à 8 heures.I’ll pick you up at 8.
- Parfait !Perfect!
- C’est noté !Noted!
- Ça marche !Sounds good! / Deal!
- Je t’envoie le document ce soir. — Ça marche, merci.I’ll send you the document tonight. — Sounds good, thanks.
- On se retrouve devant la gare. — Parfait.Let’s meet in front of the station. — Perfect.
Ça marche literally means “it works”. In conversation it means okay, sounds good, deal.
C’est bon, merci — “That’s enough”
- C’est bon, merci.That’s enough, thank you. (someone is pouring you water)
- Comme ça, c’est parfait.Like that, it’s perfect.
- Ça suffit !That’s enough! (can sound much stronger)
Here c’est bon is exactly right. Be careful with ça suffit: with the wrong tone it sounds like “that’s enough!” to a child who’s misbehaving.
The quiz from the video
Choose the most natural reply for each situation.
1. Your friend says: On se retrouve à 18h ? What do you answer?
Show answer
Ça me va. That works for me.
2. Your colleague says: Désolé, j’ai cinq minutes de retard.
Show answer
C’est pas grave. No problem.
3. Someone asks: Tu as fini le rapport ?
Show answer
Oui, c’est fait. Yes, it’s done.
4. At the bakery: Vous prendrez bien autre chose avec ceci ?
Show answer
Non merci, ça ira. No thanks, I’m good.
5. Your boyfriend or girlfriend says: Je t’appelle demain matin.
Show answer
Ça marche ! Sounds good!
Video transcript
Read the transcript by chapter
This is an edited version of the lesson, with the French restored from the on-screen text and the English tidied for reading. Music cues are left out.
0:00 — Why c’est bon gets repetitive
If you use c’est bon for everything in French, your French can start to sound repetitive very quickly. The food tastes good: c’est bon. Your friend suggests meeting at 7: c’est bon. Someone asks if you’ve finished: c’est bon. You don’t want anything else at the bakery: c’est bon. The problem is that these situations don’t mean the same thing. At B1 or B2, learning the right expression for each one is one of the easiest ways to sound more natural. Stay until the end for a quick quiz.
1:00 — “That works for me”
Your friend says On se retrouve à 19h ? You answer c’est bon. That’s understandable, but a much more natural answer is ça me va: that works for me. You can use it for times, plans or suggestions. It’s one of those expressions that instantly makes your French sound more natural.
1:41 — “It’s done”
Someone asks Tu as envoyé le mail ? and you answer Oui, c’est bon. People will understand, but if you mean “it’s done”, say c’est fait. It’s much more precise. When you’ve just finished something, say Voilà, c’est fait.
2:10 — “No thanks, I’m good”
Imagine we’re in a bakery. You order a baguette and two croissants, and the person asks Et avec ceci ?, a very common question in French shops that means “anything else?” You could say c’est bon, but another very natural answer is Non merci, ça ira. You’ll hear it all the time. Simple, polite and natural.
2:50 — “No problem”
Someone says Désolé, je suis en retard and you answer c’est bon. Depending on your tone, that can sound a little abrupt. C’est pas grave, pas de problème or the casual t’inquiète sound much warmer. In spoken French we say c’est pas grave far more often than ce n’est pas grave. This is the kind of thing intermediate learners need to work on: not thousands of new words, but how French people actually use the vocabulary you already know. If you’re around B1 or B2 and not sure what to focus on next, the free study guide helps you find the skills to work on.
4:03 — “I understand”
Someone explains something and you answer c’est bon, but what you really mean is “I understand”. Say je comprends, j’ai compris or je vois, which works exactly like “I see” in English.
4:38 — “It’s really good”
Here c’est bon is absolutely natural: you try something at a restaurant and say Hmm, c’est bon ! If you want to sound less repetitive, try c’est délicieux, c’est excellent or c’est super bon, and in casual French c’est trop bon. Trop means too much, but here it means “so good”. It doesn’t only work for food: c’est trop bien means “that’s awesome”.
5:16 — “That’s perfect”
Your friend says Je passe te prendre à 8h. C’est bon is possible, but parfait, c’est noté or ça marche sound more natural. Ça marche literally means “it works”, but in conversation it means okay, sounds good, deal. Easy expressions, big difference.
5:56 — “That’s enough”
Here’s one situation where c’est bon is very useful: someone is pouring water into your glass and you say c’est bon, merci, “that’s enough, thank you”. You could also say comme ça, c’est parfait. Be careful with ça suffit: it can mean something much stronger, so tone really matters.
6:28 — The real problem isn’t c’est bon
You don’t need to stop using c’est bon; French people use it all the time. The real problem is using one expression for five different meanings. At B1 and B2, start becoming more precise. Instead of asking “what French expression do I know?”, ask “what do I actually mean?” That works for me, it’s done, no thanks, no problem, I understand, sounds good, that’s perfect. And sometimes c’est bon is still exactly what you need.
7:20 — Quiz
Five situations: a meeting time, a late colleague, a finished report, the bakery and a phone call tomorrow. The answers are in the practice section above. Tell us in the comments how many you got right.
8:06 — Keep practicing
C’est bon isn’t wrong, but using it for everything makes your French sound repetitive. The more precise your expressions are, the more natural you’ll sound. Next, watch the video on what to say instead of merci. Take care, keep practicing, et à bientôt sur Talk in French.
Watch the original video on YouTube, or get the free Intermediate Study Guide for a structured next step.
