student asking question

What is the difference between saying "No matter" and "Don't matter"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Firstly, it is important to know that "don't matter" is a slang, grammatically incorrect form of "doesn't matter". Also "doesn't matter" and "no matter" can sometimes be used interchangeably. Which is how they are being used here. So in this song, they have the same meaning. When using these two phrases however, you have to be careful as they are not always interchangeable. Ex: A: Do you want me to order pizza, or chicken? B: It doesn't matter; they both sound good to me. Ex: A: Do you want me to order pizza, or chicken? B: No matter; they both sound good to me. When choosing between two options, and there is no preference, you will probably hear native speaks use "doesn't matter", rather than "no matter". It is more common to use "no matter" when trying to reassure someone about something negative that has happened. Ex: A: Sorry about your test results. B: No matter – the teacher said I could retake the test.

Popular Q&As

03/23

Complete the expression with a quiz!