We need to know multiple ways to say certain things. Knowing different expressions can make it a lot easier for us to communicate with native or advanced English speakers.
Let’s take a look at some ways to show that we do not care.
1. I don’t care.
This is the most basic expression. We can use it on its own.
A) What do you want to eat?
B) I don’t care.
We can add a noun clause.
- I don’t care what we eat.
- I don’t care what you do.
- She doesn’t care what other people say.
- They don’t care how much it costs.
We can also use “about + noun/gerund/noun clause”.
- I don’t care about her.
- I don’t care about winning.
- I don’t care about why she left.
Note: The expression “I don’t care for…” has a different meaning. “I don’t care for…” means ” I don’t like…”.
- I don’t care for chicken.
(=I don’t like chicken.)
2. I don’t care at all.
We use “at all” to emphasize that we do not care. This is a very strong expression.
A) Mary can’t come to the party.
B) I don’t care at all.
We can also use it with longer sentences. We can put “at all” after “care” or we can put “at all” at the very end of the sentence.
- I don’t care at all about her.
- I don’t care about her at all.
3. I couldn’t care less.
This expression shows that we care 0%. So, it is impossible for us to care less. We already care about something the minimum amount. Therefore, this expression has the same meaning as “I don’t care at all”.
We usually use this expression by itself.
A) You didn’t win the contest.
B) I couldn’t care less.
A) My car is faster than your car.
B) I couldn’t care less.
We can also add noun clauses or “about” to the end.
- I couldn’t care less if she doesn’t come.
- I could not care less what she said.
- I couldn’t care less about the results.
- She couldn’t care less about the performance of the company.
- They couldn’t care less about anybody that is not in their family.
4. It doesn’t matter to me.
This is a much softer expression than the first three expressions that we looked at in this lesson. This expression shows that any of the options are okay.
A) Do you want pancakes or waffles?
B) It doesn’t matter to me. You decide.
A) Where do you want to go?
B) It doesn’t matter to me. You pick.
We can also add a noun clause to this expression.
- It doesn’t matter to me where we go.
- It doesn’t matter to me if it rains.
If we take out the “to me”, then the sentence has the meaning of “It is not important…”.
- It doesn’t matter who wins.
(=It is not important who wins.) - It doesn’t matter to me who wins.
(=I don’t care who wins.)
(=It is not important to me who wins.)
5. So what?
This is a very casual way to show that we do not care or that we think something is not important. This expression can be considered rude, so it is best to only use this with your friends. And even when we use it with our friends, we should only use it in a joking way.
A) I won the game.
B) So what?
A) She got a promotion.
B) So what?
A) If you eat a lot of cookies, you will gain weight.
B) So what?
We can add an if-statement to the end.
A) The boss might see you playing games on your computer.
B) So what if he sees me?
A) She won’t come.
B) So what if she doesn’t come?
6. I don’t give a crap.
This is a strong expression that we should only use in casual situations. Since “crap” is kind of a bad word, we should only use it around our close friends.
A) She is angry at you.
B) I don’t give a crap.
We can add noun clauses or “about…” after this expression.
- I don’t give a crap what she said.
- I don’t give a crap about him.
- I don’t give a crap about what my friends think I should do.
7. I don’t give a damn.
This is the same as “I don’t give a crap”.
A) Are you following the election?
B) I don’t give a damn about the election.
A) You might get in trouble if you do that.
B) I don’t give a damn.
Use this lesson to expand your English vocabulary and help you take your English skills to the next level. There are certain situations when the language that you learned in this English lesson can be very useful. Try to use one of these phrases or expressions the next time you speak English.
