French Expression · Native
C'est pas la porte à côté
It's not close by / It's a long way off
Pronunciation: se pa la PORT a ko-TE
Meaning
An idiomatic expression used to indicate that a place is far away, or that a task will take a long time.
Example
La plage ? Non, c'est pas la porte à côté d'ici, il faut prendre la voiture.
The beach? No, it's not close by from here, you have to take the car.
Practice tips
- Practice C'est pas la porte à côté out loud — read the pronunciation guide above and repeat.
- Use it in your own sentence today; reuse beats rereading.
- Pay attention to context: this French expression is for native-level learners.