French Phrase
Ma télé marche pas.
Meaning
Literally ‘My TV walks not’, this informal sentence means ‘My TV doesn’t work.’ It’s a typical spoken way to complain about a broken television.
When to use
Use it in casual conversation with friends, family, or a repair person when you want to say that your television is out of order. It’s too informal for a formal email or a written report.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Matélémarchepas
Possessive adjective (Ma)
‘Ma’ agrees with the feminine singular noun that follows; it means ‘my’.
Noun (télé)
Short for ‘télévision’, a feminine noun; the article is omitted because the possessive already marks it.
Verb (marcher) used colloquially
‘marcher’ normally means ‘to walk’, but in everyday speech it also means ‘to work / function’ for machines.
Negation (pas)
In spoken French the ‘ne’ is often dropped, leaving only ‘pas’ after the verb.
🗨In Conversation
Ma télé marche pas.
My TV doesn't work.
Ah, tu as essayé de la rebrancher ?
Ah, have you tried plugging it back in?
✕Common Mistakes
Ma télé ne marche pas.
Learners often write the full negation even when they want the spoken tone; the phrase is meant to be informal, so dropping ‘ne’ is correct here.
Ma télé marche pas le.
‘Le’ is unnecessary; the possessive already identifies the TV.
Ma télé marche pas de.
‘de’ does not belong in this construction; the correct negation is just ‘pas’.
↔Alternatives
Ma télé ne fonctionne pas.
My TV does not function.
Ma télé ne marche plus.
My TV no longer works.
Ma télé est en panne.
My TV is broken.
Cultural Tip
In spoken French, dropping the ‘ne’ in negative sentences is extremely common, especially in informal settings. However, in formal writing you should keep the full negation: ‘Ma télé ne marche pas.’ Also, ‘marcher’ for devices is colloquial; in a technical context you’d prefer ‘fonctionner’ or ‘être en panne.’