25 Ways to Say NO in English Advanced Vocabulary Lesson
Vanessa: Hi.
I’m Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.
Do you know how to say no 25 different ways?
Let’s talk about it.
Saying no can be tricky because it’s often
the answer that the other person doesn’t wanna
hear.
But, you know what?
Sometimes you just have to say no.
Don’t shy away from the word “no”.
Shy away from means avoid the word no.
Sometimes no is the strongest clearest answer.
Maybe someone asks you, “Hey.
Can you help me with this project?”
And, you say, “No.
Sorry.
I’m really busy.
I have too much going on.”
Great.
It’s clear, straightforward, and strong.
But, sometimes you wanna say other things
besides just no.
So, today I’d like to add some tools to your
vocabulary toolbox and help you learn more
ways to say no for different situations.
We already talked about how to say yes in
22 different ways.
You can click on the link up here to watch
that video.
But, today we’re gonna talk about 25 ways
to say no.
First, let’s focus on 10 ways to say no in
normal daily conversations.
Then, we’re gonna focus on five ways to say
no super strongly, and then, 10 ways to say
no extra politely.
Are you ready?
Let’s start with the 10 ways to say no in
daily conversation.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Nah.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cut vegetables?
Dan: Nah.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Neh.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cut vegetables?
Dan: Nah.
Vanessa: You just heard me ask, “Do you want
to help me cook dinner?”
But, this question actually sounded like,
“Do you wanna help me cook dinner?”
Want to often changes to wanna.
You’re gonna hear this question a lot in this
video, so I wanna make sure that you can hear
that pronunciation tip.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
And, how did Dan respond?
Well, he said, “Neh.”
Or, he could’ve said, “Nah.”
Here we have two different choices for really
casual no answers, neh and nah.
Neh and nah.
As you can imagine, this is pretty casual,
so it’s best to be used with people you’re
really familiar with, and in situations that
aren’t too serious.
If someone asks you, “Oh.
I have an emergency.
I really need some help.
Can you please help me?”
And you said, “Neh.”
It’s not too polite.
You should decline in one of our other ways
we talk about later in polite ways to say
no.
But, when you use “neh”, it should be for
pretty light informal situations.
Hey.
Do you want some more chicken?
Dan: Nope.
Vanessa: Do you want some more broccoli?
Dan: Noppers.
Vanessa: Hey.
Do you want some more chicken?
Dan: Nope.
Vanessa: Do you want some more broccoli?
Dan: Noppers.
Vanessa: Let’s imagine that you’re sitting
at the dinner table, and someone offers you
some more chicken.
But, you’re full.
You don’t want any more.
How can you decline?
Well, you might say, “Nope, I’ve had enough.
Nope.
I’m full.
Nope.
Nope.”
If you wanna use this in a slang way, it’s
just kind of funny, joking.
You might say, “Noppers.”
This is something, as you can imagine, that’s
pretty casual, and you only wanna use when
you wanna be funny.
But, you might hear this in TV shows or movies.
“Noppers.
No thanks.”
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Mm Mm.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cut vegetables?
Dan: Uh Uh.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Mm Mm.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cut vegetables?
Dan: Uh Uh.
Vanessa: You just heard “Mm Mm” and “Uh Uh”.
Here the intonation of your voice is really
important.
If you say “Mm Mm”, it means no.
But, if you say, “Mm-hmm (affirmative)”, it
means yes.
So, make sure that your voice sounds like
mine.
Mm Mm.
Mm Mm.
Mm Mm.
When you say, “Uh Uh.
Uh Uh.”
You’re going from high to low.
Mm Mm.
Uh Uh.
This means no.
Do you want some more food?
Dan: I’m all set.
Vanessa: Do you want another drink?
Dan: I’m good.
Vanessa: Do you want some more food?
Dan: I’m all set.
Vanessa: Do you want another drink?
Dan: I’m good.
Vanessa: This is a good expression for a restaurant.
Do you want some more food?
I’m all set.
I’m good.
I’m all set.
I’m good.
Let’s imagine that you’re having lunch with
the President of your country.
You should probably say, “I’m all set.”
This is a little bit more polite.
It’s not super polite.
You can use this if you’re visiting your in-laws
or maybe your grandparents' house.
If you say, “I’m good.”
It’s more for casual situations.
So, if you’re at a restaurant that’s not too
formal, and the server asks you, “Oh, would
you like another drink?”
You could say, “I’m good.”
And, this means, “No thanks.
I don’t want any more.
I’m good.”
Let’s eat ice cream for dinner.
Dan: Let’s not and say we did.
Vanessa: Let’s eat ice cream for dinner.
Dan: Let’s not and say we did.
Vanessa: Now we’re getting into some more
advanced ways to say no.
Let’s imagine that someone asks you something
crazy or maybe something a little bit risky.
Do you wanna have ice cream for dinner?
Well, maybe you wanna be healthy.
You wanna be a little practical.
But, you don’t want to just kill your friend’s
energy and excitement.
So you wanna say something clever.
You could say this expression, “Let’s not
and say we did.”
The full expression is “Let’s not do it, but
let’s say that we did it.”
So, you’re pretending that you did something,
but you’re not really doing it.
So, you can imagine this situation where you’re
driving down the road and you see an old abandoned
house, and your friend says, “Hey.
Let’s go check out that house.
I wonder what’s there.”
And, you’re thinking, “I don’t really want
to, but it sounds like a fun idea.”
You can use this expression.
You could say, “Let’s not and say we did.”
You’re kind of laughing at their idea.
You’re thinking, oh it sounds like fun, but
no way.
I’m not gonna do it.
Let’s not and say we did.
Let’s eat ice cream for dinner.
Dan: No, no, no.
Vanessa: Let’s eat ice cream for dinner.
Dan: No, no, no.
Vanessa: When you were a kid, did you ever
ask your parents for ice cream for dinner?
I know that I did all the time.
I loved ice cream.
I still do.
But, my parents said, “No, no, no.
No, no, no.”
This triple no is kind of childish.
It’s something that’s often used towards children.
So, you’re gonna see it in TV shows or movies
when someone is saying something towards a
child.
They might repeat this three times, “No, no,
no.”
That’s not a good idea.
“No, no, no.
Don’t do that.
No, no, no.”
So, if you say this to a friend or a coworker
it’s gonna sound a little bit strange, kind
of like you’re an authority.
You’re the parent.
So, make sure that this is directed only towards
children.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: No way.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me prepare the
turkey?
Dan: No way, Jose.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: No way.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me prepare the
turkey?
Dan: No way, Jose.
Vanessa: In the U.S., Thanksgiving dinner
is a big deal, but it’s also a lot of work.
So, if I ask Dan, “Hey.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?”
And, he said, “No way.
It’s too much work.”
Maybe he could also say, “No way, Jose.”
Just as a little joke.
This is pretty strong, and if it means that
I need to cook dinner all by myself I might
not be too happy about his answer, but if
it was someone else, maybe it could be a little
bit of a joke.
This is really strong.
“No way.
No way.”
Stop.
End of conversation.
No way.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Not possible.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me pour drinks?
Dan: Never.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Not possible.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me pour drinks?
Dan: Never.
Vanessa: The next two ways to say no are also
really strong.
Not possible.
Never.
You can imagine if someone said this, it kind
of ends the conversation.
There’s nothing else you can say, because
that person is … has a pretty strong opinion.
Not possible.
Can you help me with dinner?
Never.
Okay.
I guess that’s it.
I guess I’ll go make it by myself.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Heavens, no.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Heavens, no.
Vanessa: The next strong way to say no is
fun one.
You can add any swear word you want here.
Or, you can add a euphemism.
A euphemism is kind of a polite disguised
swear word.
So, you might say, “Do you wanna help me cook
dinner?
Heavens, no.
I’m too busy.
Heavens, no.
That seems like a really difficult Thanksgiving
dinner you’re making.
Heavens, no.
I’m not gonna do it.”
But, you could also add any swear word you
want here.
“Heavens” is kind of a euphemism, a polite
word.
You might say, “Goodness no.”
That’s also a euphemism, polite, not too bad.
But, if you wanna add a swear word here, it’s
gonna make it extra strong.
Alright.
Let’s move on to 10 polite ways to say no.
Just to let you know, you can add, “I’m sorry.”
at the beginning of any of these, and it’s
gonna make it even more polite.
In fact, you can add, “I’m sorry” before any
of these no expressions, but especially with
these polite ones, it’ll be a good fit.
Do you want some more food?
Dan: Thanks, but no thanks.
Vanessa: Do you want some more food?
Dan: Thanks, but no thanks.
Vanessa: In this first polite expression,
you’re not really even saying no.
You’re saying thank you.
“Thanks, but no thanks” and this is just kind
of just disguising your answer which is really
no.
Do you want some more food?
Thanks, but no thanks.
Your dinner was great.
Thanks, but no thanks.
I don’t want anymore.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Not now, I’m busy.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: Not now, I’m busy.
Vanessa: These next three are kind of delaying
your answer which is really no at the moment.
But, you’re saying, “Not now.
Not this time.
Not today.”
You’re kind of hinting that maybe you can
do it in the future.
So, it’s a little bit softer, a little bit
more polite.
I recommend if you use this, make sure that
it is actually a possibility that you could
do it in the future.
If someone asks you, “Oh.
Can you help me paint my house?”
That’s a really big deal.
If you say, “Not today.
I have too much going on.”
Maybe they’ll ask you another time, and you
might need to say yes because you kind of
hinted that you would do it in the future.
So, if you use this, make sure that it is
a possibility that you could do it the next
time.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I’m afraid I can’t.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I’m afraid I can’t.
Vanessa: I really like this expression because
it’s pretty polite.
“I’m afraid I can’t.”
It doesn’t mean that you’re scared of something.
It just means that you’re softening no.
No.
Can you help me cook dinner tonight?
I’m afraid I can’t.
I have to edit this YouTube video.
I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed like
I need to get it finished now.
I’m afraid I can’t.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I’m sorry.
If only I could.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I’m sorry.
If only I could.
Vanessa: This expression is kind of an exaggeration.
You’re gonna see in this expression and the
next couple the motor verbs could, would,
and should.
If only I could.
Here you’re kind of imagining some extreme
situation.
In my dreams, if only I could do it.
It would be amazing.
So, instead, you’re shortening this expression.
If only I could.
You’re dreaming about helping the other person.
You’re dreaming about saying yes.
Can you help me cook dinner tonight?
Oh, if only I could, but I have too much to
do.
If only I could.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I would if I could, but I can’t.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I would if I could, but I can’t.
Vanessa: Here again, you’re seeing these motor
verbs, I would if I could, but I can’t.
This makes it really polite.
You’re not saying, “I can’t do it.”
You’re saying, “I would do it if I could do
it, but I can’t do it.”
I know this uses a lot of words, but really
it makes it more polite, because you’re softening
you’re answer.
I’m sorry.
I would if I could, but I can’t.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner.
Dan: I really shouldn’t.
I’m sick.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I really shouldn’t.
I’m sick.
Vanessa: This expression is pretty clever,
because instead of you saying, “I can’t do
it.”
You’re kind of blaming something else.
By saying, “I really shouldn’t.”
This means that something else is stopping
you from saying yes.
So, let’s imagine that you need to clean your
house because you have some guests coming
over, but your partner, your husband, your
wife say, “Hey.
Can you help me cook dinner?”
And you say, “I really shouldn’t, because
I need to clean the house.”
In this situation you’re blaming the house.
By saying, “I really shouldn’t” you have some
other priority and that is the thing to blame.
So here you’re kind of pushing off the blame
on something else and making more polite.
I really shouldn’t.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I’d love to, but I can’t.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook the Thanksgiving
turkey?
Dan: I’m honored, but I can’t.
Vanessa: These final two expressions include
your feelings.
I’d love to, but I can’t.
I’m honored, but I can’t.
You would use these in situations where someone
asks you to do something that involves your
expertise.
Or, maybe when they ask you to do something,
you feel like it’s really special that they
asked you to help them.
Maybe your friend is having some relationship
problems and they ask you, “Hey.
Can you come over this afternoon and help
me go through these problems.”
But, you’re really busy instead, and you can’t
do it.
You might say, “Oh.
I’d love to come over this afternoon, but
I can’t.
I have too much going on.
I’m honored that you would think that I could
help you.
That’s amazing.
I feel so honored, but I can’t.”
Here you’re kind of softening and being polite,
but also saying no.
Man, you’re not very helpful today.
Dan: But, I don’t know how to say yes.
Vanessa: Oh, maybe you should watch my video,
22 Ways to Say Yes.
Dan: Yeah.
I mean, no.
I mean, yeah.
Vanessa: Link in the description.
Make sure that you check it out.
Thanks so much for learning these 25 No Expressions
with me.
Let me know in the comments.
Were any of these new for you?
I hope that this will just help to add to
your vocabulary toolbox so that you can say
no politely and say a no that will fit that
situation.
Thanks so much, and I’ll see you again next
Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube
channel.
I’ll see you later.
Bye.
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
…
Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I’m afraid I can’t.
Vanessa: Do you wanna help me cook dinner?
Dan: I’m afraid I can’t.
Vanessa: Can you help me cook dinner?
Dan: Eh.
If only I could.
My back.
It hurts.
Vanessa: The next step is to download my free
eBook, Five Steps to Becoming a Confident
English Speaker.
You’ll learn what you need to do to speak
confidently and fluently.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel
for more free lessons.
Thanks so much.
Bye.