Home > French Words > French Phrases > YOU ARE HERE
On this page, we are going to explain you everything you want to know about the basic French phrase “C’est dommage”.
Including a full guide of what it is and how to use it in everyday life with an audio example. As well as the useful informations we added like dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio and more!
Finally, you will also find our others phrases tutorials on this page plus all our content about French words on this page. Wishing you a happy learning!
The literal meaning is:
French people use it to express a feeling of regret or disappointment, just like: “Too bad” or “It’s a pity” in English.
Use it when you want to express your disappointment or when you have regrets about something. You can use it just like this or add more precisions about what you are disappointed with right after.
For example, your best friend didn’t come to your party. When talking about that the day after he/she says: “Désolé(e) je n’ai pas pu venir” (Sorry, I couldn’t come). You might answer: “C’est dommage” (Too bad) because you really wanted her/him to be there.
Now if you want to be more precise, you can use: “C’est dommage que tu ne sois pas venu(e)” (It’s a pity that you didn’t come). Or even “C’est dommage, j’avais préparé ton gâteau préféré” (It’s a pity, I cooked your favorite cake.)
Finally, you can also use “Dommage” alone to express “Too bad” but it’s a bit more informal.