French Expression Natives Say All the Time : ça marche

how to say it works in french

Ça marche is a French expression that can be used in a lot of ways depending on the context the speaker uses it. This is one of the most common expressions in French, especially in speaking form.

How to use ça marche

This expression has been used as a colloquialism since the XXth century, in this particular scenario, the meaning consists of saying that the speaker is in agreement with what is being said.

J’espère vraiment que ça marche.

I really hope that it works.

Je dirai que ça marche plutôt bien.

I would say it works pretty well.

Just like the other two expressions, ça marche can be used in the negative form too:

Leo, ça ne marche plus.

Leo, this doesn’t work anymore.

Synonyms of  ça marche

This is not a new way to say you agree with something, the first one goes back to the XXth century.

It actually dates back to 1947, but its meaning was also attributed to another expression, ça colle which literally means it sticks, but in this case it means, it works this term was first heard around 1906.

Donc ça colle avec notre version.

So, it works with our version.

Allez, cette fois, ça colle.

Come on, this time it works.

You can also use it in the negative form:

Il se peut que Meredith et moi ça ne colle plus.

Meredith and I may not work anymore.

There are another few expressions that could possibly be interpreted the same way, like, ça roule (it works).

Non, ça roule. Je gère.

No, it works. I got it.

Si ça roule bien, il sera là dans 10 min.

If it works out, he’ll be here in 10 min.

Just like the first one, ça roule works in a negative form too:

Et ça ne roule pas vraiment, alors ne t’en fais pas.

And it doesn’t really work, so don’t worry.

All set to use ça marche like a native speaker

So, when it comes down to it, you are now an expert at ça marche, all its uses, and a bit of its history. You are now ready to use this colloquialism as easily as a native French speaker would use it. You can also try and throw ça colle or ça roule in there. Remember to practice with your friends and family, and have fun with it.

Learn more about French sayings, fondé sur/selon how to use them

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