Saying No in Spanish – When No Doesn’t Necessarily Mean No

No in Spanish Formal Expressions, Slang and Indirect Refusals

A straightforward ‘no’ in Spanish is said the same way and just as directly as it is in English, no.

❌ However, a negative response in Spanish is often adorned and embellished with complementary words that either mitigate or strengthen the negation.

There are numerous ways to say no in Spanish, ranging from formal expressions to everyday slang or informal phrases to polite and indirect refusals. 

👉 So let this be your ‘no’ guide and pick up the subtleties, contexts and meanings behind the different ways of saying no in Spanish.

Let’s break down ‘No’ in Spanish!

No in Spanish || The Elementary No

No in Spanish || No – Formally Speaking

No in Spanish || No – Everyday Expressions

No in Spanish || No – How to Politely and Indirectly Decline

No in Spanish || No – When It’s Wishy-Washy

No in Spanish || Quiz

No in Spanish || FAQs

No in Spanish || The Elementary No

👉 An upright ‘no’ in Spanish is valid for any context of use – formal or informal, although a few accompanying expletives are always appreciated, like in these examples, which come across as more formal ways of saying no:

When refusing

No, gracias (No, thank you). See example:

Valeria

¿Te apetece un café?

(Would you like a coffee?)
Sofia

No, gracias, ya me he tomado uno.

(No, thank you, I already had one.)

When denying (vehemently)

En absoluto (Absolutely not).

En absoluto, él no es culpable. (Absolutely not, he is not guilty.)

When denying (less vehemently)

No es así (equivalent to saying ‘That’s not the case’ or ‘It’s not like that’), like in this conversational example:

Martina

Llegaste tarde.

(You arrived late.)
Valeria

No es así, llegué cinco munutos antes.

(That’s not the case, I arrived five minutes early.)

When contradicting

Me temo que no (I’m afraid not), like in the example:

Mateo

Hay que girar a la izquierda.

(You have to turn left.)
Sebastián

Me temo que no, hay que girar a la derecha.

(I’m afraid not, you have to turn right.)
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No in Spanish || No – Formally Speaking

Sometimes, we want to avoid appearing too casual.

This could be when speaking to a boss, a person older than you, or simply when you’d like to appear more respectful to someone in any given situation.

👉 When saying ‘no’ in Spanish in a formal context, it is always advisable to adorn the basic ‘no’ either with some cushion or reinforcing words, like in the examples below:

A tempered ‘no’

Me temo que no (I’m afraid not), see the example below:

Álvaro

¿Vendréis a cenar?

(Are you all coming for dinner?)
Sergio

Me temo que no podremos ir a la cena.

(I’m afraid we will not be able to attend the dinner.)

No va a ser posible (It’s not going to be possible), like in the example below:

Javier

¿Podemos reunirnos mañana por la mañana?

(Can we meet tomorrow morning?)
Jorge

No va a ser posible, tengo otra reunión.

(It won’t be possible, I have another meeting.)

No va a poder ser (It’s not going to happen)

Sergio

Querría la entrega para el fin de semana.

(I would like the delivery for the weekend.)
Carlos

No va a poder ser, ya temenos la agenda llena.

(That’s not going to be possible, our schedule is full already.)

A reinforced ‘no’

En absoluto (Absolutely not), like in the example:

Álvaro

¿Vas a comprarte la casa?

(Are you going to buy yourself the house?)
Adrián

En absoluto.

(Absolutely not.)

De ninguna manera (There’s no way/no way)

Alejandro

¿Vamos andando al restaurante?

(Let’s go walking to the restaurant?)
Daniel

De ninguna manera, está a dos kilómetros.

(No way, it’s two kilometers away.)

Bajo ningún concepto (Under no circumstance)

Bajo ningun concepto debes revelar la sorpresa. (Under no circumstance must you reveal the surprise.)

Jamás (Never)

Mario

¿Has fumado alguna vez?

(Have you ever smoked?)
Hugo

Jamás.

(Never.)
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No in Spanish || No – Everyday Expressions

Slang or informal phrases used to convey a negative response in Spanish at times take a humorous approach or are peppered with imaginative metaphors that can help take the sting off the blow. 

Here are some examples of everyday and alternative casual ways to say ‘no’ in Spanish instead of the straightforward ‘no’:

SPanishenglish
Qué va(equivalent to ‘of course not’ or ‘not at all’)
Ni lo sueñes(In your dreams)
Paso(equivalent to saying, ‘I’ll pass’)
Va a ser que no(akin to ‘It’s gonna be a no’)
Ni de broma/ni de coña(equivalent to saying ‘not a chance’)
De eso nada(it’s like saying ‘I’m having none of that’ or ‘no way’)
Para nada(equivalent to ‘not at all’)
Ni loco/a(loosely translated to ‘not even if I were crazy’, meaning, it’s an outright ‘no’)
Nunca(Never)
Ni se te ocurra(equivalent to saying ‘Don’t even consider it’)
Ni pensarlo(akin to saying ‘Don’t even think about it’)
Ni hablar(akin to saying ‘out of the question’)

No in Spanish ||
No – How to Politely and Indirectly Decline

Have you ever felt that you were in a tight spot but had to decline anyway?

For sure, right?

So if you ever are in need to politely turn something or someone down in Spain, here are some less painful ways to say ‘no’ in Spanish:

spanishenglish
Te lo agradezco pero no, gracias.I appreciate it but no thanks.
Quizás en otro momento.Maybe another time.
De momento noNot at the moment.
Me encantaría pero no puedo.I’d love to but I cannot.
Lo siento pero no puedo.I’m sorry but I cannot.
Lamentablemente, no puedo or desafortunadamente, no puedoUnfortunately, I cannot.

No in Spanish || No – When It’s Wishy-Washy

There are times when a ‘no’ is not necessarily an outright ‘no’, it’s wishy-washy and
you’re not sure.

In these cases, when you’re half-in and half-out, here are your go-to words in Spanish so you’re sure to transmit that element of doubt:

Quizás (maybe/perhaps), like in the example below:

Quizás vaya a la playa, depende de si llueve o no.

Maybe I will go to the beach, it depends on whether it rains or not.

No lo sé (I don’t know), like in the example below:

Mateo

¿Quieres ver una película de comedia o de acción?

(Do you want to watch a comedy or an action movie?)
Maria

No lo sé. ¿Tú que prefieres?

(I don’t know. What do you prefer?)

Veremos (We’ll see), like in the example below:

Triana

Te irás de vacaciones este año?

(Will you go on vacation this year?)
Sofia

Veremos, tengo muchos gastos ahora.

(we’ll see, I have many expenses now.)

Lo dejamos para otro momento (equivalent to a good old ‘Raincheck’ or ‘Let’s leave it for another moment’), like in the example below:

Hugo

¿Vamos a tomar algo esta noche?

(Let’s go have a drink tonight?)
Martina

Salgo tarde de trabajar hoy,
lo dejamos para otro momento.

(I get off work late today, raincheck.)

No lo tengo claro (equivalent to saying, ‘I’m not sure’)

Lucas

¿Vas a alquilar el piso?

(Are you going to rent the apartment?)
Lola

No lo tengo claro, el edificio no tiene ascensor.

(I’m not sure, the building doesn’t have an elevator.)
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No in Spanish || Quiz

Welcome to your No in Spanish Quiz! Let's get going...

First Name
Email
Which phrase means "I'm afraid not" in Spanish?

What is the straightforward translation of "no" in Spanish?

Which expression means "Unfortunately, I cannot"?

What does "Paso" mean in a casual context?

Which of the following is a slang way to say "not a chance"?

What does "De eso nada" mean?

What does "Qué va" translate to in English?

Which phrase indicates uncertainty about going somewhere?

What is the meaning of "Ni hablar"?

Which of the following is a polite way to decline an invitation?

Now you’ve mastered No in Spanish, let’s check out these Spanish essentials?

👉 How to say ‘I love you’

👉 Directions in Spanish

👉 How to say ‘Yes’

Or, for an additional language challenge, check out just how tricky it is to say No in Japanese and No in Korean!

No in Spanish || FAQs

Does Spanish have a word for ‘no’?

Spanish and English both have the same word for ‘no’, and that is ‘no’.

The word ‘no’ in Spanish comes from the Latin word ‘non’, which means ‘not’ or ‘no’. Spanish being a Romance language (all of which are all Latin derived), incorporated a variation of the word ‘no’.

Where do you put ‘no’ in a Spanish sentence?

When ‘no’ is used as an adverb of negation in Spanish, ‘no’ generally precedes the verb, like in the examples below:

In a negative declarative phrase:

No pude acabar el libro. (I could not finish the book).

In answer to a question:

¿Has comido ya? (Have you eaten yet?)

No, acabo de llegar. (No, I just arrived.)

¿Me dejas tus llaves? (Can I borrow your keys?)

No, las necesito. (No, I need them.)

Does ‘no’ in Spanish have an accent?

Unlike the Spanish adverb of affirmation (yes) which always carries an accent, the adverb of negation no in Spanish is written without an accent (no exceptions).

How to politely say ‘no’ in Spanish?

There are many possible combinations of phrases to politely turn one down in Spanish, whether it be an invite, an offer, or any particular situation that you would like to decline.

Here are some polite ways to say no in Spanish:

Te lo agradezco mucho pero no, gracias. (I appreciate it a lot, but no thanks.)

Quizás en otro momento. (Maybe another time.)

De momento no, gracias. (Not at the moment, thank you.)

Me encantaría pero no puedo. (I’d love to but I cannot.)

Lo siento pero no puedo. (I’m sorry but I cannot.)

Lamentablemente, no puedo or desafortunadamente, no puedo (Unfortunately, I cannot.)

How to say ‘no way’ in Spanish?

‘No way’ is an expression commonly used as an informal negation but just as well as a way of expressing surprise or disbelief, so in these contexts here are some ways of saying ‘no way’ in Spanish.

Variations of the phrase ‘no way’ in Spanish when used as a form of negation (refusal, denying or contradicting):

Ni hablar (akin to saying ‘out of the question’)

Ni lo sueñes (In your dreams)

De ninguna manera (equivalent to ‘Not a chance’)

Ni se te ocurra (equivalent to saying ‘Don’t even consider it’)

Ni pensarlo (akin to saying ‘Don’t even think about it’)

Ni de broma/ni de coña (equivalent to saying ‘not a chance’)

De eso nada (it’s like saying ‘I’m having none of that’ or ‘no way’)

Variations of the phrase ‘no way’ in Spanish when used as a way to express surprise or disbelief:

¡Venga! or ¡Venga ya! (similar to ‘Yeah, right!’)

¡Qué me dices! (similar to ‘What are you saying!’)

¡No me digas! (similar to ‘You don’t say!’)

¡No te creo! (I don’t believe you!)

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