Dialogue
Ça m’est égal or peu importe: say either option suits you in French
Practise a French planning dialogue: say you have no preference, keep a time limit clear and use peu importe to set one detail aside.
- B1
- 8 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Ça m’est égal means “I don’t mind” or “It makes no difference to me” when you have no preference. Peu importe means “It doesn’t matter” and can set a detail aside. Add Les deux me conviennent to make a flexible answer clear and friendly.
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ça m’est égalI don’t mind; either is fine by me
Focus: your own lack of preference
Ça m’est égal + a clarifying sentence
Ça m’est égal, les deux horaires me conviennent.
I don’t mind; either time suits me.
peu importeit doesn’t matter
Focus: a detail you can leave open
Peu importe + the detail
Peu importe le jour, mais je dois finir avant dix-huit heures.
The day doesn’t matter, but I have to finish before six.
Choose a time for a rehearsal
Léa and Max need to rehearse a presentation together. Max is flexible about the day and the order of their sections. He has one firm limit: finishing before six. Practise Max’s part, including the sentence that states that limit.
- Léa
On répète mercredi ou jeudi ?
English
Shall we rehearse on Wednesday or Thursday?
- You
Ça m’est égal, les deux jours me conviennent.
Say that you have no preference and either day suits you.
English
I don’t mind; either day suits me.
- Léa
Alors jeudi. À quelle heure es-tu libre ?
English
Thursday, then. What time are you free?
- You
À partir de seize heures, mais je dois finir avant dix-huit heures.
Say you are free from four but must finish before six.
English
From four, but I have to finish before six.
- Léa
D’accord. Tu préfères commencer par ton introduction ou par la mienne ?
English
OK. Would you prefer to start with your introduction or mine?
- You
Peu importe, on peut commencer par la tienne.
Set the order aside and suggest starting with Léa’s introduction.
English
It doesn’t matter; we can start with yours.
- Léa
Parfait, on fait comme ça.
English
Perfect, let’s do that.
- You
Très bien, à jeudi !
Agree and say see you Thursday.
English
Great, see you Thursday!
What is the difference between ça m’est égal and peu importe?
| What you mean | French |
|---|---|
| Either option suits me. | Les deux me conviennent. |
| Choose the one you prefer. | Choisis ce que tu préfères. |
| The day is flexible; the deadline is fixed. | Peu importe le jour, mais il faut finir vendredi. |
| I actually have a preference. | Je préfère jeudi. |
After a choice between two suitable days, “I don’t mind” is a natural translation of ça m’est égal. After someone shares a worry, a bare “I don’t care” can sound dismissive. A follow-up such as Les deux me conviennent makes the cooperative meaning clear when you are choosing between options.
Ça nous est égal, choisissez l’horaire qui vous convient.
Either is fine by us; choose the time that suits you.
The person changes with me or nous: ça m’est égal, ça nous est égal. Égal keeps its singular form after ça. Write ça with a cedilla and égal with an accent. In peu importe, peu means “little”; it has no final t.