Ce n'est pas ainsi que ça s'est conclu.

Sentence Discussions French
#1
English Translation

That’s not how it turned out.

Is “conclu“ a bit formal in normal usage? Although “turned out“ is an accurate translation in the sense of something ending, it does not appear to be an accurate translation of the nuance. “turned out“ would only be used in the Midwest USA in casual conversation.

#2

Right, it sounds a bit off.

If you want to insist on the fact that whatever is being discussed ended, and you’re having an informal conversation with a friend for instance, maybe these:

  • Ça ne s’est pas terminé/fini comme ça.
  • Ce n’est pas comme ça que ça s’est terminé/fini.
  • C’est pas comme ça que ça s’est terminé/fini.

"Comme ça" could be replaced by “ainsi”, but that’s much more formal and rarely used in casual conversations. Likewise, “ça” could be replaced by “cela”, but same thing.

With all that said, even if the literal meaning is slightly different, I feel like these may be more commonly used:

  • Ce n’est pas ce qu’il s’est passé.
  • C’est pas ce qu’il s’est passé.

[In spoken French, “ce qu’il” is often shortened to /ski/]

  • Ça ne s’est pas passé comme ça.
  • Ça s’est pas passé comme ça.
  • C’est pas comme ça que ça s’est passé.
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