On this page, we are going to teach you everything you need to know about the basic French phrase "C'est pas trop tôt". To be clear, this includes a detailed guide of what it is and how to use it in a dialogue with an audio example. Plus, we also added some super useful stuff like dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio, synonym and more!
Translation : It was about time
Register : Informal - Basic
Slow
Normal
IPA : / sɛ pa tʁo to /
It literally means:
We use it to express our frustration after waiting for someone for a long time. This is ironic because instead of simply saying "You are late." (Tu es en retard.) it's saying "It's not too soon".
This construction is making the criticism less aggressive but still clear.
You had been waiting for your "always-30min-late-friend" and he/she finally arrived. You just want to mention that he/she is late but without starting an argument or creating a bad atmosphere.
In this case, just say: "C'est pas trop tôt." with a smile and he/she will understand you, will probably apologize and you will move on to something else.
Don't forget that depending on your tone and facial expression, it can be interpreted as a gentle teasing or as an aggression.
This is a soft way to criticize someone for being late, but if you are super mad: you can increase the "criticism level". Just add some swear words such as "Bordel", "Putain", "Bordel de merde" or "Putain de merde" right after to make it harsher.
For example: "C'est pas trop tôt putain ! 3 heures que je t'attends !" (Fuckin' hell, finally! I have been waiting you for 3 hours!)
↓ Example in a story with translation ↓
Finally, let's see an example in a parallel story with slow audio.
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