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When I want to translate the French sentence "Oh, c'est dommage que tu n'aies pas eu ton examen" into english, I think about:

  • "It's a shame that you didn't pass your exam" => This sounds very strong / agressive / blaming!

  • "It's a pity that ..."

  • "Too bad ..."

In French, "C'est dommage" is very neutral, it involves no judgement. No one would get offended if you say "C'est dommage que tu n'aies pas eu ton examen".

However, it seems to me that the translation "It's a shame" sounds very blaming. One reason for that is that "shame" also means "honte" in French, which is a very strong bad feeling.

In English, is "It's a shame" neutral or does it contain a little bit of blame? like when saying "Shame on you"?

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    They all mean the same thing in English. If something is a shame, it does not mean it's shameful. J'ai honte, I am ashamed. Different. C'est une honte means: It's an embarrassment.
    – Lambie
    Commented Feb 21, 2017 at 18:11
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    The phrase it's a shame commonly means you have mild disappointment, that's all. The translation is fine for all three versions. Whenever you are let down, you can always say Quelle dommage!, it's a shame.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Feb 21, 2017 at 18:18
  • @Lambie - I agree; and can you make an answer?
    – aparente001
    Commented Feb 22, 2017 at 3:44

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Words have different meanings in even the slightest of different contexts.

"What a shame" or "It's a shame"

is just like "Quel dommage" which means 'I feel bad for you (because you didn't pass your drivers test)'. It's not about something you have done but about a poor situation. This is not judgmental at all about you.

"What shame" or "Shame" or "Shame on you" (the latter too more idiomatic English)

are very different and more like "Quelle honte" which means "You have embarrassed yourself (because you were caught cheating on your drivers test)". This is strong and judgmental and places blame on you.

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    also "for shame" would fall in the second category. not sure i've ever heard someone say "what shame."
    – abcd
    Commented Feb 21, 2017 at 20:50
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It's a shame is an idiomatic expression in English. If something is a shame, it does not mean it's shameful. J'ai honte, I am ashamed. Different. C'est une honte means: It's an embarrassment.

It's a shame or What a shame = It's too bad.

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