N'importe quoi

Expression: N'importe quoi

Pronunciation: [neh(n) puhr t(eu) kwa]

Meaning: anything / nonsense, whatever

Literal translation: no matter what

Register: normal / informal

Notes: The French expression n'importe quoi has a few different uses. Normally it means "anything," as in je ferais n'importe quoi pour gagner - "I'd do anything to win."

Informally, N'importe quoi ! or C'est du n'importe quoi ! means "Nonsense!" (US) or "Rubbish!" (UK) Another possible translation is "What the heck are you talking about?!"

Though not a perfect equivalent, n'importe quoi is also the best translation I've found for "whatever!", the (primarily) adolescent expression of dismissal.

Examples:

   Ce magasin vend tout et n'importe quoi.
   This store sells anything and everything.

   N'écoute pas Philippe - il dit n'importe quoi.
   Don't listen to Philippe - he's talking nonsense.

Related: C'est en faisant n'importe quoi, qu'on devient n'importe qui !  (or ...que l'on devient...)

This expression, "It's by doing nonsensical things that you become nonsensical," is the motto of the French prankster and video maker Rémi Gaillard, aka N'importe qui. It's a play on the French proverb C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron (Practice makes perfect, literally "It's by forging that one becomes a blacksmith.")

Lessons: Expressions with n'importe | On vs l'on

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