French Phrase
C'est pas très frais.
Meaning
Literally, "It's not very fresh." In everyday conversation it is used to comment that something – usually food, a drink, or even the weather – lacks freshness or coolness. The phrase is informal because it uses the spoken contraction "c'est pas" instead of the standard "ce n'est pas".
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to tell a friend that a dish, a salad, a juice, or the air feels stale or warm. It can also be used figuratively to say that an idea or a joke isn’t "cool" enough.
✦Grammar Breakdown
C'estpastrèsfrais.
Elision (C')
The pronoun "ce" drops the e before a vowel or mute h, becoming "c'".
Verb être (est)
"est" is the third‑person singular present of "être" (to be).
Informal negation (pas)
"pas" follows the verb to make a negative statement; in spoken French the formal "ne" is often omitted.
Intensifier (très)
"très" means "very" and modifies the adjective that follows.
Adjective (frais)
"frais" means "fresh" (for food) or "cool" (for temperature). It agrees in gender and number with the subject.
🗨In Conversation
Ce gâteau a l'air bon, non ?
That cake looks good, right?
C'est pas très frais.
It's not very fresh.
✕Common Mistakes
Ce est pas très frais.
The pronoun "ce" must elide before a vowel; use "c'".
C'est très pas frais.
"pas" must come directly after the verb, not after the intensifier.
C'est pas très fraises.
The adjective must agree with the subject; "frais" stays masculine singular here.
↔Alternatives
Ce n'est pas très frais.
It is not very fresh.
Il n'est pas très frais.
It isn't very fresh.
Ce n'est pas très frais du tout.
It is not very fresh at all.
Cultural Tip
The form "c'est pas" is common in casual speech among peers, but avoid it in formal settings such as business meetings or when speaking to strangers; there you should use "ce n'est pas". Also, "frais" can describe temperature – "Il fait frais" means "It's cool" – so the phrase can be used for weather as well as food.