Paris phrase
c'est carré
It is organised, clear, reliable, or properly handled.
Uses your device’s built-in voice. Pronunciation is approximate because available voices and paris pronunciation vary.
Meaning
In informal French, c'est carré praises something as well organised, settled, precise, or under control.
Pronunciation and grammar
Pronunciation: /sɛ ka.ʁe/
Part of speech: expression
How it is used
It can approve a plan, piece of work, arrangement, explanation, or person who handles things reliably.
Register: Informal contemporary urban French.
Examples in context
- Le planning est prêt, c'est carré.The schedule is ready and everything is properly organised.
- Avec elle, tout est carré.With her, everything is handled clearly and reliably.
Important context
The standard adjective carré means square; the approving slang sense depends on context.
Source
Origin and background
An informal French expression meaning something is settled, organised, correct, reliable, or exactly as required. The image is of something neat and properly aligned.
Cultural context
It can confirm a plan, approve completed work, or reassure someone that an arrangement is under control. Youth and media use helped broaden its visibility.
When to use it
Use it casually when confirming that details are organised or a result meets expectations.
When not to use it
Avoid it in formal contracts or instructions where the exact approval and obligations should be stated explicitly.
Example conversation
A: I booked the table and sent everyone the address.
B: Parfait, c’est carré.
Read the exchange as a complete interaction. Relationship, intonation, timing, and the reply often communicate more than a literal dictionary substitution.
Common misunderstanding
The phrase usually has nothing to do with literal geometric shape. It evaluates order, quality, or readiness.
Regional and speaker variation
C’est carré is not used with identical frequency or meaning by every speaker in Paris and informal French. Age, neighbourhood, community, profession, formality, and personal style affect whether it sounds ordinary, marked, playful, dated, or unfamiliar.
Recognition is therefore different from permission to perform a local identity. Visitors and learners usually sound more natural when they understand the term first and use neutral language until the relationship and setting support it.
How to interpret real examples
Compare several complete examples rather than copying one sentence. Check who is speaking, what happened immediately before it, how the listener responds, and whether the expression softens, intensifies, jokes, agrees, or criticises.
Spelling is also an imperfect guide to sound. Use the pronunciation support as orientation, then listen for rhythm, stress, reductions, and speaker variation in full phrases.
Similar words and related language
- c’est bon
- nickel
- tout est réglé
Compare this entry with the Paris and informal French guide for this usage type and the complete LocalMean guide directory.