French Phrase
Ça marche !
Meaning
Literally ‘That walks’, the expression is used idiomatically to mean ‘It works!’, ‘That’s fine’, or ‘Okay, agreed’. It conveys that a plan, suggestion, or device is functioning as expected.
When to use
Use it when you want to confirm that something is acceptable, that a proposal is approved, or that a piece of equipment is operating correctly. It is informal and best suited for conversations with friends, colleagues, or in casual business settings.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Çamarche!
Ça (demonstrative pronoun)
‘Ça’ is the contracted form of ‘cela’, meaning ‘this/that’. It is used as a neutral subject pronoun.
marche (verb marcher)
‘marche’ is the third‑person singular present indicative of the verb ‘marcher’ (to walk). In the idiom it means ‘to work, to function’.
Exclamation mark
The exclamation mark signals a positive, informal affirmation rather than a question.
🗨In Conversation
On se retrouve à 18h devant le cinéma ?
Shall we meet at 6 p.m. in front of the cinema?
Ça marche !
Sounds good!
✕Common Mistakes
Ça marche ?
Adding a question mark changes the meaning to ‘Does it work?’; the idiomatic affirmation uses an exclamation point.
Ce marche
‘Ce’ is a demonstrative adjective, not a pronoun; the correct pronoun is ‘Ça’.
Ça marche bien
While grammatically possible, the idiom is usually short; adding ‘bien’ can sound redundant unless you specifically want to stress the quality.
↔Alternatives
D'accord !
Alright!
Ça fonctionne !
It works!
C'est bon !
All right!
Parfait !
Perfect!
Cultural Tip
‘Ça marche’ is a very common colloquial phrase in France and Quebec. It is informal but widely accepted in most everyday contexts. Avoid using it in very formal written correspondence; opt for ‘Très bien’ or ‘Entendu’ instead. The phrase can also be used sarcastically to imply that something is barely acceptable.