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

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.