Learning french: what does pas de souci mean and when to use it?

PEOPLE SAY THIS TO REASSURE OTHERS BUT ALSO TO SHOW CONFIDENCE Pas de souci is a very common expression in French that can be used as a reaction to allay someone’s concerns and show

confidence. We look at how to use it correctly in everyday French. WHAT DOES PAS DE SOUCI MEAN? Pas de souci is actually a reduced form of il n’y a pas de souci, which literally means ‘there

is no problem’.  In everyday French, the phrase works just like in English: people say pas de souci, ‘no problem’ rather than il n’y a pas de souci, ‘there is no problem.’ As a verb,  se

soucier de means 'to fret', 'to be preoccupied' or 'to be concerned by' and is typically considered less serious and more casual than s'inquieter de -  to

worry about.  However, more often than not, the verb is used in a negative sense, ie.  Il ne faut pas se soucier de ça-  'you should not be concerned by that'. LEARNING FRENCH:

WHAT DOES BONNE CONTINUATION MEAN AND WHEN SHOULD IT BE USED? The noun is masculine: le souci -  the 'problem', 'the concern', 'the issue'   Somewhat

confusingly, French speakers frequently employ le souci as an understatement, meaning that 'un petit souci' -  a little problem - can actually refer to a bigger problem than a

'souci'. You may also hear: Je me fais de souci pour toi - I'm worried about you.  The adjective is  soucieux -euse,  which can mean 'concerned',

'preoccupied', 'mindful' or 'worried'. HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE  PAS DE SOUCI? * Do not pronounce the ‘s’ in pas. * The ‘e’ in de is like in ‘the’ in UK English, or

‘uh’ in American English * The ‘s’ and the ‘c’ in souci both sound like the ‘s’ in snake \pɑ də su.si\ o WHEN DO YOU SAY PAS DE SOUCI? As a rule of thumb, only use pas de souci in spoken

French, not in letters and emails. Use it to reassure people - and to show them that you can speak casual French. TO WHOM DO YOU SAY PAS DE SOUCI ? Pas de souci is informal language. Use it

with peers, family or friends.