Saying no in English can be easy, but telling someone no in German is difficult. Especially if you are not fluent in German, it can be incredibly challenging to communicate and say nein or nicht means “no” or “not”. To say “no” in German, you say nein, pronounced like the number nine in English. This is the straightforward way, but in this blog, we will help you learn more formal and informal ways to say no in German, so let’s move ahead and explore the different ways.
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There are different ways to pronounce no in German language; one of them is nein. In a formal way, a person can simply decline something by saying this word that is pronounced as " nine in English. But apart from this, you can use more words to say no in a formal way.
For a simple refusal in German, nein is a golden standard that can be used as a standalone to decline something. Moreover, you can also add danke after nein to be gracious or refuse something politely in German. Understand better with some examples.
Q 1: Haben Sie Hunger? (Are you hungry?)
Answer: Nein (No)
Q 2: Möchten Sie mehr Bier? (Would you like more beer?)
Answer: Nein, danke. (No, thank you)
Q 3: Ist das Ihr Auto? (Is that your car?)
Answer: Nein (No)
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In the German language, nicht is used to negate verbs, adverbs, and certain parts of sentences, and its placement depends on what you are negating and the sentence structure. For example, to say no problem in German, kein problem can be used. Let’s understand it more clearly with examples.
Q 1: Isst du Burger? (Are you eating burger?)
Answer: Ich esse keinen Burger. (I am not eating burger.)
Q 2: Ist Ihr Bett gelb? (Is your bed yellow?)
Answer: Mein Bett ist nicht gelb. (My bed is not yellow.)
Q 3: Schläft David auf dem Teppich? (Is David sleeping on the carpet?)
Answer: Nein, David schläft nicht auf dem Teppich. (No, David is not sleeping on the carpet.)
Kein is used in German language to negate German nouns because it means no. In a sentence the ending of this word will often change with noun, gender, number, or case. Understand it better from examples.
Q 1: Hast du ein Flugzeug? (Do you have an airplane?)
Answer: Ich habe kein Flugzeug. (I do not have an airplane.)
Q 2: Trägst du einen Pullover? (Are you wearing a sweater?)
Answer: Ich trage keinen Pullover. (I am not wearing a sweater.)
Q 3: Willst du einen Kaffee trinken? (Do you want to drink a coffee?)
Answer: Ich möchte keinen Kaffee trinken. (I do not want to drink a coffee.)
Sometimes, when you cannot complete any work and want to say no formally then you can say keineswegs (by no means). Let’s find some examples for better insights.
If someone asks you about something and you want to answer “no for now or, forever”, then you can formally say niemals (never). Find different examples below to understand it better.
To learn the German language, knowing how to say no in German is a great idea. It might be upsetting to the listener who is listening no, but to soften the situation, you can say eider nicht (unfortunately not). Let’s look ahead for some examples.
Many students and beginners have questions about how to say no in German in formal language, and finally you have got the answer.
Sometimes, apart from the formal way, you have to say no to your family or friends. If you want to know how to say no in German (informal) way, then here are some of the ways that you may use.
This is one of the casual ways to decline something or say nö (nope) in German. If you want to know how to pronounce no in German, then it will be close to (nuh). Here are some examples in sentences.
Q 1: Triffst du dich heute mit Johannes? (Are you meeting Johannes today?)
Answer: Nö. (Nope.)
Q 2: Hast du das Buch gelesen? (Have you read the book?)
Answer: Nö, noch nicht. (Nope, not yet.)
Q 3: Kann ich dir helfen? (Can I help you?)
Answer: Nö, danke. (Nope, thank you.)
Nee or no problem in German are some casual ways to make a refusal. This is a great way to say no if you are facing issues in your language learning journey. You can read some sentences for better clarity.
Absolutely not! (absolut nicht!) You must have heard or said this to someone before to deny something. If you use this term in a general way, you must learn the way to say it in German also.
If there is something that doesn’t work simply and you want to know how to say no in German in that way, say das geht nicht (that does not go). Here are some examples for you.
Sometimes, when you come across a result and want to disagree with something and also you do not want to hear it again, you can say in response vergiss es (forget it). Let’s explore some examples.
Q 1: Kann ich dein Auto für eine Woche ausleihen? (Can I borrow your car for a week?)
Answer: Vergiss es! (Forget it!)
Q 2: Lass uns heute Abend ins Kino gehen. (Let's go to the cinema tonight.)
Answer: Vergiss es, ich bin zu müde. (Forget it, I'm too tired.)
Q 3: Wie wäre es mit einem Spaziergang? (How about a walk?)
Answer: Vergiss es, ich habe keine Zeit. (Forget it, I don't have time.)
Till now, we have focused on how to pronounce no in German or how to say nein in German. But, if you visit this country, then it is important to communicate effectively and learn more different ways to say no. In the following table, we have given some phrases to learn German, especially to deny something.
| English | German |
|---|---|
| I don’t think so | Ich glaube nicht |
| I’d rather not go | Ich gehe lieber nicht |
| I’m not interested | Ich habe kein Interesse |
| Maybe another time | Vielleicht ein anderes Mal |
| No way | Nie und nimmer |
| No, I don’t want to | Nein, ich will nicht |
| No, thank you | Nein, danke |
| Not at all | Gar nicht |
| Not right now | Nicht jetzt |
| Sorry, I can’t | Es tut mir leid, ich kann nicht |
| That’s not allowed here | Das ist hier nicht erlaubt |
| Unfortunately, I have to decline | Ich muss leider ablehnen |
To conclude, we have discussed how to say no in German in formal and informal ways. To master the German language, this is a good way to start with learning nein (no). Moreover, you can explore different blogs where you will learn to say please, thank you, hello, or you’re welcome in German. But if you want to learn German more quickly, it is advisable to join German coaching online or offline, whichever suits you. This will help you cover every single topic in German more clearly.
Main Reasons Why you should Study in Germany
To say no, Germans use “nein,” which sounds like nine in English.
The German word for saying no is “nein” instead of nien.
In German, you can say okay as “in Ordnung” (in order), gut (good), and use the English word “okay” or “OK”.
To say no politely in German, you can use "Nein, danke" (no, thank you), "Leider nein" (unfortunately no), or "Ich glaube nicht" (I don't think so).
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