Non me ne frega niente! If you’ve spent time in Italy, you’ve heard it. Fregarsene is one of the most used informal verbs in Italian, and once you know how it works, you’ll hear it everywhere: on the street, in movies, among friends.
In short
- Fregarsene means not to care, “not to give a damn”. It’s very informal: fine with friends, not with your boss.
- Personal form: me ne frego, te ne freghi, se ne frega… (I don’t care, you don’t care…)
- Even more common: non me ne frega niente (I couldn’t care less), where the verb is always frega: non te ne frega, non gliene frega.
- Everyday phrases: Chi se ne frega! (Who cares!), Che te ne frega? (What do you care?), Fregatene! (Forget about it!)
- Polite alternative: non mi interessa or non mi importa.
What does fregarsene mean?
Fregarsene means not to care, “not to give a damn”. It’s very informal and can sound dismissive, so be careful where and with whom you use it. It’s common in everyday conversation, but never in formal situations.
- Me ne frego del calcio.
I don’t care about soccer. - Se ne frega di tutto.
He / She doesn’t care about anything. - Chi se ne frega!
Who cares!
What you don’t care about is introduced by di: fregarsene di qualcosa / di qualcuno.
How does it work?
Fregarsene is a pronominal verb: a verb with little pronouns stuck to it. Strip away -sene and you’re left with fregare, the verb you conjugate. Then you put the pronouns back in front: me/te/se/ce/ve/se + ne. Ne stands for “about it”, the thing you don’t care about.
It works exactly like andarsene (me ne vado) and prendersela.
Fregarsene conjugation
| Subject | Presente | Passato prossimo |
|---|---|---|
| io | me ne frego | me ne sono fregato/a |
| tu | te ne freghi | te ne sei fregato/a |
| lui / lei | se ne frega | se n’è fregato/a |
| noi | ce ne freghiamo | ce ne siamo fregati/e |
| voi | ve ne fregate | ve ne siete fregati/e |
| loro | se ne fregano | se ne sono fregati/e |
In the passato prossimo it takes essere, and the participle agrees with the subject: Lei se n’è fregata, Loro se ne sono fregati.
Non me ne frega niente: the other way to say it
This is probably the most common form, and it’s built differently. Here the verb is always frega (3rd person), and the person who doesn’t care is the indirect pronoun, just like with non mi importa.
| Who doesn’t care | Non … frega niente | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | Non me ne frega niente. | I couldn’t care less. |
| tu | Non te ne frega niente. | You don’t care at all. |
| lui / lei | Non gliene frega niente. | He / She doesn’t care at all. |
| noi | Non ce ne frega niente. | We don’t care at all. |
| voi | Non ve ne frega niente. | You (all) don’t care at all. |
| loro | Non gliene frega niente. | They don’t care at all. |
Notice gliene for him, her and them: it’s gli + ne, the same combination you see in double object pronouns.
Everyday expressions with fregarsene
- Chi se ne frega! Who cares!
- Che te ne frega? What do you care? / Why does it matter to you?
- Fregatene! Forget about it! Don’t worry about it! Fregatene di quello che dice la gente. (Don’t worry about what people say.)
- Non me ne potrebbe fregare di meno. I couldn’t care less.
- Me ne frego altamente. I really don’t care at all.
Fregarsene or something more polite?
Fregarsene isn’t a swear word, but it’s a softer version of a much ruder expression, and it can sound rude. Here’s how to choose:
| Expression | Register | English |
|---|---|---|
| Non mi interessa. | neutral, polite | I’m not interested. |
| Non mi importa. | neutral | I don’t mind, it doesn’t matter to me. |
| Me ne infischio. | informal, a bit old-fashioned | I don’t give a hoot. |
| Me ne frego. / Non me ne frega niente. | very informal | I don’t give a damn. |
| Me ne sbatto. | slang, rude | I don’t give a damn (stronger). |
One more thing: “Me ne frego!” shouted on its own was a famous slogan of the Fascist era. In everyday sentences like non me ne frega niente nobody thinks about it, but now you know why some Italians avoid the bare slogan.
Fregare without -sene
Careful: fregare on its own means something completely different. It means to cheat, to trick or, informally, to steal.
- Mi hanno fregato il portafoglio in metro.
They stole my wallet on the subway. - Quel meccanico ti ha fregato!
That mechanic ripped you off!
Practice
More pronominal verbs: avercela, farcela, andarsene, prendersela, or the complete guide to Italian pronominal verbs.
Practice with my stories
Informal verbs like fregarsene come alive in dialogue. Reading stories with real conversations is the best way to learn when, and how, Italians use them.
7 Romance Short Stories in Italian
Level B1/B2
Seven stories about love and everyday life, full of natural conversations.
Piazzetta Italiana
Level A2/B1
My magazine for learners: real articles about Italian culture and everyday life, with vocabulary and audio.
Frequently asked questions
What does fregarsene mean in Italian?
Fregarsene means not to care, not to give a damn. It’s very informal: use it with friends, not in formal situations.
What does non me ne frega niente mean?
It means I couldn’t care less, literally nothing about it matters to me. The verb stays frega for everyone: non te ne frega, non gliene frega, non ce ne frega.
What does chi se ne frega mean?
Chi se ne frega! means Who cares! It’s a common, informal reaction to something unimportant.
Is fregarsene rude?
It’s not a swear word, but it is very informal and can sound dismissive. In polite situations say non mi interessa or non mi importa instead.
What does fregare mean without -sene?
Fregare on its own means to cheat, to trick or, informally, to steal: Mi hanno fregato il portafoglio (they stole my wallet).
