What does 'faire n'importe quoi' mean in English?

'Faire n'importe quoi' means 'to do anything' (as in 'I would do anything for you') but it also commonly means 'to do nonsense', 'to mess around' or 'to act foolishly'.

How do you use 'n'importe quoi'?

You can use it to say 'anything' (e.g. 'je ferais n'importe quoi' - I would do anything) or on its own to say 'Nonsense!' or 'Bullshit!' when someone says something untrue.

Faire n'importe quoi: Meaning & How to Use It

Faire n'importe quoi is a very common French expression that every learner needs to know. It has two main meanings: "to do anything" (like doing anything for love) and "to do nonsense" or act foolishly. Let's break it down.

🎬 French Expression #5 — Faire n'importe quoi. Say it out loud after me.

The meaning

Faire n'importe quoi = "To do anything" / "To do nonsense"

In the romantic or literal sense, Je ferais n'importe quoi pour toi means "I would do anything for you."

In everyday spoken French, it often means acting without thinking, doing things randomly, or doing a bad job. For example: Il fait n'importe quoi(He's doing nonsense / acting foolishly).

Just "N'importe quoi"

You will also hear French people say N'importe quoi ! on its own as a reaction. When used this way, it means "Nonsense!" or "That's rubbish!" — a strong way to disagree with someone who is talking nonsense.

Now say it out loud

Play the video once more and repeat after me until it feels natural. Then pick up the previous one in the series: C'est dommage. And if you want to build a real bank of everyday phrases, start with my French vocabulary hub.

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