"N'importe quoi" is Incorrect

Question

"N'importe quoi" is a colloquial, it means nonsense or bs! Not the right or natural way of saying whatever. This is incorrect. The correct way to say is "Peu importe".

Maarten Kamp · Answer

Swarnita

The original text is in French - it is correct.

‘ Peu importe ‘ would make little sense in the context where James is ( gently ) rejecting praise of his standard of French whereas ‘ n’importe quoi ‘ does fit.

I agree that the English translation of ‘ n’importe quoi ‘ in this context as ‘ whatever ‘ seems a bit strange. Something like ‘ not really ‘ ( or a polite ‘nonsense’ ) or similar would fit better, I think.

It is worth remembering that the primary language should be taken as correct and reflecting the intended meaning, especially when it is produced by native speakers, as in this exercise.