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How to Say ‘That sucks’ in French

Ça craint

sah kran

[sah kran]

💬 Usage Tip: [Craindre] often changes meaning in this fixed phrase: [ça craint] usually means "that sucks / that's bad," not literally "that fears." The same pattern shows up in [ça craint ici] for "this place feels sketchy/bad."

Phrase Breakdown

Ça

[sah]

That sucks

Used when something is negative or unfavorable.

Example

Il pleut tout le week-end, ça craint.

It's raining all weekend, that sucks.

craint

[kran]

fears

Literally means to fear but used to express something bad.

Example

Perdre son travail, ça craint.

Losing your job, that sucks.

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