The French idiom "Ce n'est pas ma tasse de thé"

On this page, we are going to show you all the things you ever wanted to know about the funny expression “Ce n’est pas ma tasse de thé”.

This include a complete explanation of what it is and how to use it in everyday life with an audio example. And also the useful stuff we sprinkled like synonyms, dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio and more!

By the way, on this page you will find more of these expressions explained and the complete directory of all our French words tutorials on this page. Ready to learn? C’est parti ! (Let’s go!)

Table of Contents

Artboard 1
Artboard 1
Artboard 1
Showcase of this quote from our Instagram account
Daily posts like this on Instagram → @all.french

English translation

Pronunciation example

Slow pronunciation

Normal pronunciation

What does it mean?

Definition

It literally means:

  • Ce n’est pas → It’s not
  • ma→ my
  • tasse de thé→ cup of tea

 

This quite recent expression in France is the literal translation of the same expression in English “It’s not my cup of tea“, not surprising considering that the United Kingdom is the realm of tea…

It is used to express that we are not in our favorite activity, that the thing in question is not something that suits us or that we like to do.

How to use it

The next time someone asks you to climb Mount Everest, you can say: “Non merci, ce n’est pas ma tasse de thé” (No thanks, it’s not my cup of tea.)

For informal contexts, you can use instead: “Ce n’est pas mon truc” (Literally: “It’s not my thing“).

Synonyms and similarities

  • Ce n’est pas mon truc → It’s not my thing
  • Ce n’est pas ce que je préfère → It’s not what I prefer
  • Je n’aime pas ça → I don’t like that
  • Ça ne me plaît pas → I don’t like that

Everyday life dialogue example

Audio dialogue from French people

Dialogue audio

Dialogue transcription

” Tu aimes les croissants ? “
” Do you like croissants? “
Entre toi et moi, ce n’est pas ma tasse de thé “
” Between you and me, it’s not my cup of tea* “
Va-t’en ! Je ne veux plus te voir ! “
” Go away! I don’t want to see you anymore! “
Showcase of this dialogue from our Pinterest account
More pins like this on Pinterest → @allbfrench