Published September 15, 2024 • Updated July 26, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Quand même — Meaning and Pronunciation
Quand même is a very common French expression with several possible translations, including “still,” “anyway,” “even so,” “yet,” and “all the same.” Its exact meaning depends on the context and the speaker’s tone.
The IPA pronunciation of quand même is /kɑ̃ mɛm/, which sounds approximately like “kahn mem.”
Example Sentences
Quand même = Still, yet or anyway
Elle est gentille, mais quand même, elle m’énerve de temps en temps !
She is nice, but still, she gets on my nerves from time to time.
Je suis prof, et je fais quand même des fautes pendant les leçons !
I am a teacher, and yet I sometimes make mistakes during the lessons.
Tu ne veux pas apprendre ces verbes ? Apprends-les quand même !
You don’t want to learn these verbs? Learn them anyway!
Ne + verb + quand même + pas — Expressing disbelief or strong objection
Je ne vais quand même pas marcher une heure dans le froid !
I’m not going to walk one hour in the cold!
Tu n’as quand même pas oublié ton portable ?
You didn’t forget your cell phone, did you?
Tu ne vas pas apprendre tous les mots en un jour, quand même ?
You aren’t going to learn all the words in one day, are you?
Expressing surprise or astonishment
Ah ouais, quand même ! C’est dingue !
Wow! That is surprisingly crazy!
Merci quand même = thanks anyway
Merci quand même !
Thanks anyway!
See also:
👉 Tout de même (anyway) »
👉 N’empêche que (still, nevertheless) »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- tout de même — all the same, nevertheless
- malgré tout — despite everything
- en tout cas — in any case
- néanmoins — nevertheless
- cependant — however
📚 Related lessons
👉 French connector words »
👉 Même (same, self, even) »
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