French Expression of the Day: Il n'y a pas de mal
You might want to use this phrase if someone accidentally knocks into you in a queue.
Why do I need to know il n'y a pas de mal?
Because when a situation isn’t worth getting worked up about, you need to say so.
What does it mean?
Il n'y a pas de mal – pronounced eel nyah pah de mal – means no harm done. In English, you might say 'no big deal.'
It’s one of those useful de-escalating stock phrases you can use in situations when mistakes happen - when someone takes the seat in the metro you'd been eyeing, but you're in no hurry, for example, or to indicate that you have not taken offence at a comment. It demonstrates that there’s no problem, that everything’s fine.
It can also be used to indicate there’s nothing wrong in doing something - the phrase il n'y a pas de mal à se faire du bien is the French version of “a little bit of what you fancy does you good”.
Use it like this
Il n'y a pas de mal - no harm done
Il n'y a pas de mal à cela - there’s nothing wrong with that
Qu'y a-t-il de mal à cela ? - what’s the problem with that?
Similar phrases
ça va aller - it’s going to be okay
il n'y a pas de lézard - no problem
il n'y a pas de souci - no worries
tout va bien - it’s all good
ce n'est pas grave - it’s not serious
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See Also
Why do I need to know il n'y a pas de mal?
Because when a situation isn’t worth getting worked up about, you need to say so.
What does it mean?
Il n'y a pas de mal – pronounced eel nyah pah de mal – means no harm done. In English, you might say 'no big deal.'
It’s one of those useful de-escalating stock phrases you can use in situations when mistakes happen - when someone takes the seat in the metro you'd been eyeing, but you're in no hurry, for example, or to indicate that you have not taken offence at a comment. It demonstrates that there’s no problem, that everything’s fine.
It can also be used to indicate there’s nothing wrong in doing something - the phrase il n'y a pas de mal à se faire du bien is the French version of “a little bit of what you fancy does you good”.
Use it like this
Il n'y a pas de mal - no harm done
Il n'y a pas de mal à cela - there’s nothing wrong with that
Qu'y a-t-il de mal à cela ? - what’s the problem with that?
Similar phrases
ça va aller - it’s going to be okay
il n'y a pas de lézard - no problem
il n'y a pas de souci - no worries
tout va bien - it’s all good
ce n'est pas grave - it’s not serious
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