Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Vocabulary/Say-No"
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Instead of saying simply "'''No'''", it will sound more natural to be able to say “not now”, “so so” or “not really”. | Instead of saying simply "'''No'''", it will sound more natural to be able to say “not now”, “so so” or “not really”. | ||
Revision as of 14:25, 21 May 2016
Instead of saying simply "No", it will sound more natural to be able to say “not now”, “so so” or “not really”.
Here are different ways to say "no" in French:
Non merci
No, thanks
In some situations, answering “non” can come across as rude though. so you may want to say “non merci” instead.
Oublie !
forget it!
- Pourrais-tu me prêter 1000 euros ? Oublie ! = Could you lend me 1,000 euros? Forget it!
Ce sera tout
that’ll be allWhen you buy something at the bakery, the waiter can ask you if you’d like something else. If you do not want something else, you can answer “Ce sera tout”.
- Vous prendrez une boisson avec ça ? Non merci, ce sera tout = Will you take a drink with that? No thanks, that’ll be all.
Pas vraiment
Not really
If you are not ready or don't want to do something, you can say "Pas vraiment".
- Salut Pierre ! tu es prêt pour l'examen ? Pas vraiment. Hi Antoine! Are you ready for the test? Not really.
Pas du tout
not at all
If you really don't want to do something, you can say “pas du tout”.
- Est-ce que tu serais prêt à escalader cette montagne ? Pas du tout ! Would you be ready to climb that mountain? Not all all!
Pas encore
Not yet
If you have not done something yet, you can say “pas encore”. T’as lu le livre dont je t’ai parlé ? Pas encore. Did you read the book I talked to you about? Not yet.
Pas maintenant
not now
If you do not wish to do something now, but would be ready in a moment, you can say "Not now".
- ça te dit d'aller au restaurant ? Pas maintenant. Do you feel like going to the restaurant? Not now.
Malheureusement pas
unfortunately not
To formally decline a request while pretending you really wished you could help, you can say "malheureusement pas".
- Peut on obtenir un remboursement du voyage ? Malheureusement pas. = Can I get a refund for this trip? Unfortunately not.
Pas question !
no way!If someone ask you something so crazy you immediately know the answer is “no”. In this situation you can use "Pas question" (no way), "Hors de question" (out of the question), "absolument pas" (absolutely not).
- Peux-tu t'excuser s'il te plait ? Pas question ! = Can you apologize please? No way!
Jamais
never
If you want to say you’ll never do something, you can say “jamais”. T’as déjà été aux USA? = Non jamais.
- Have you ever been to the US? = No never.
What about you, how do you usually say "no" in French, please share your comments or edit this page!