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Glite Dictionary
if it's all the same

if it's all the same

4 6.5
When no one likes one choice more than another
  • idiom
translation icon : si no te importa
  • If it's all the same to you, we're gonna count it anyway.

Examples

Synonyms

six of one, half a dozen of the other
vsif it's all the same
  • Informal
6.2

Two choices that are almost the same and make no real difference

is identical in meaning but appears as a different phrasing
six and two threes
vsif it's all the same
  • UK
9.9

Two choices that are about the same and make no difference

is identical in meaning but is an alternative phrasing

Surface Forms

if it's all the same main

Morphology

if + it's + all + the + same

The phrase literally reads as 'if it is all the same', which a learner who knows the parts can plausibly map onto 'if it makes no difference' or 'if you have no preference'. However, its pragmatic, formulaic use (often elliptical for 'if it's all the same to you') and reliance on context to signal politeness/acceptability means the exact conversational function is not fully predictable from the words alone.

Etymology

If it's all the same comes from a polite old way of saying that everything is the same to you; imagine two choices that look exactly alike, so it does not matter which one you pick. So, the phrase means 'no preference' or 'it does not matter' when you are polite about a decision.