French phrase
C'était sale.
Meaning
It was dirty.
When to use it
Describes something that was dirty in the past. It is direct and may sound mildly blaming in a complaint about a hotel room or toilet.
Example dialogue
La chambre ? C'était sale.
The room? It was dirty.
Je suis désolé, nous allons la nettoyer tout de suite.
I'm sorry, we'll clean it right away.