Level: B1 (Intermediate)
🎧 Audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a native speaker & professional voice artist from France
The French Word of the Day is ça craint — a slang expression you won’t find in most textbooks. It means “that sucks,” “that’s bad,” or “it’s sketchy.” The examples below show practical ways to start using it in your conversations today.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
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📘 Ça craint meaning
Ça craint is an informal French phrase meaning “that sucks,” “that’s bad,” “that’s risky,” or “that’s sketchy/dodgy.” Common among teens and young adults, it’s used to express disappointment, annoyance, or to warn about a place that feels unsafe. Examples include Ce film, ça craint (This movie sucks) and Ça craint la nuit (It’s sketchy at night).
🎧 Ça craint pronunciation
Ça craint is pronounced /sa kʁɛ̃/, roughly “sah kranh.” The ç sounds like s, cr starts with a hard k, and the nasal /ɛ̃/ is like an in vin, with a silent t.
📝 French and English examples
Ça craint – it sucks, it’s sketchy
Annoyance / disappointment
Mon train est annulé. – Oh non, ça craint !
My train is cancelled. – Oh no, that sucks!
Minor risk / inconvenience
On sort sans parapluie ? – Ça craint.
We’re going out without an umbrella? – That’s not a good idea.
Criticism / disapproval
Il a encore oublié son devoir ? – Oui, ça craint !
He forgot his homework again? – Yeah, that’s bad!
Danger / warning
Ne va pas dans ce quartier la nuit, ça craint.
Don’t go to that neighborhood at night, it’s sketchy.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
To say something is bad or disappointing
- C’est nul ! – That’s lame / rubbish
- C’est pourri. – That’s rotten / really bad (slang)
- Bof ! – Meh / so-so
To warn about risk or danger
- C’est dangereux. – It’s dangerous
- C’est risqué. – It’s risky
- C’est pas sûr ici. – It’s not safe here
Other casual reactions
- C’est pas terrible. – Not great.
- C’est flippant. – That’s scary / freaky.
🚀 Expand your French vocabulary!
Now that you’ve mastered ça craint, check out my lesson covering the related irregular verb craindre (to fear).
👉 Learn craindre here »
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