How to Say NO!

69,541 views ・ 2019-09-10

Rachel's English


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:00
When you have to say NO, sometimes you want to add nuance.
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How can you say ‘no’ without being rude?
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Also, what do Americans really mean when they say “I don’t think so”?
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Do they mean no? There are lots of ways you can say ‘no’ while being kind and showing appreciation.
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When I was living in Germany, I was frustrated that I didn’t have any phrases to use
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in these kinds of situations. I wished I had various ways to say ‘no’ or to turn down an invitation.
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Today we’re going to go over lots of ways to say ‘no’ in English, in various situations.
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Situation 1: You’re out to eat and you’ve eaten, and your server asks if you’d like dessert,
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or if you’d like to see a dessert menu, or if there’s anything else you’d like to order.
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You could say a simple:
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No, thank you.
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or No thanks.
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OR, I don’t think so.
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We use ‘I don’t think’ to mean we’re not sure.
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Rachel, do they sell diapers at the corner store?
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01:00
I don’t think so, but I’m not sure.
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Are they open late?
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I don’t think so.
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Again, that means probably not, but I’m not 100% sure.
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So if we’re asked if we know something, and we’re not sure, we can say
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“I don’t think so.” But if we’re asked if we WANT something, “I don’t think so” simply means ‘no’.
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Do you want to try this on in another size?
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I don’t think so.
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Do you want dessert?
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I don’t think so.
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Do you want to supersize that order?
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I don’t think so.
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Situation 2: Someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do or can’t do.
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This could be a colleague at work asking you to work on a project, or someone, say, at church
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asking if you can do something. Can you help plan the retreat this year?
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This is, someone asks you to do something extra, to take on an extra task or extra work.
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Not something social. We’ll get to that in a minute.
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Here are some phrases you could use to turn down something like this:
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Sorry, I’ve got too much going on already.
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Sorry, I can’t take on any extra work.
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Sorry, I can’t take on any extra work. Take on, a phrasal verb.
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Sorry, I can’t take on any extra work.
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Sorry, I don’t have time.
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Sorry, I don’t have time.
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That one is nice and simple. Sorry, I don’t have time.
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Unfortunately, I’m not going to have time to do that.
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Unfortunately, I can’t take that on.
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Using the word ‘unfortunately’ shows that you have some level of disappointment.
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It’s something you’d like to do, or you can see that it would be good for you to do,
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or you can see that you’re disappointing someone by saying no. Unfortunately, I can’t.
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You could also say:
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I’d like to, but I’ve got too much on my plate to take that on.
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Too much on my plate – that’s an idiom that means you’re busy, and last week I did a video
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that went over 16 different ways to say you’re busy.
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03:07
Often, when you decline something you add that you’re busy or what your plans are,
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so check out that video if you haven’t already. You’ll learn some great phrases to use
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when you need to decline something.
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You could say, “I don’t think I can make that work.”
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I don’t think I can make that work.
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Again, we’re using “I don’t think” here to mean “no.” It’s sort of a softer way than just saying a flat ‘no’.
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03:32
Rachel, can you help set up for the event on Monday?
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I don’t think I can make that work. Sorry.
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Hey, can you stay the night for a client phone call?
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I don’t think I can make that work. I have to pick up my kid at six.
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You could say, “not this time” if it’s something you’re interested in in the future.
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You could even say something like “Not this time, but please ask me again. I’d like to try to do that next time.”
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You could also try showing your appreciation. For example: "Thanks for thinking of me, but I can't."
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OR, "I'm honored, but I can't." OR, "I'd really like to, but I can't make it work this time."
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These all have 'but'.
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These kind of statement plus 'but', is something we would use a lot in social situations with friends, too.
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That brings us to Situation 3: A friend asks you to do something social, but you can’t.
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Maybe you’re too busy or you’ve already got plans.
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You could say:
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"I wish I could! But ___" and your excuse.
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I wish I could, but we have guests in town then.
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Or, I wish I could, but I’m busy tonight.
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So, “I wish I could” plus your excuse.
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I could replace “I wish I could” with "I’d love to" or "That sounds lovely".
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That sounds lovely, but I’ll be out of town, or, I already have plans, or, but I’m helping my friend move that day.
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You could also say: I’d like to.
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I’d like to, but I’m not free tonight.
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I’d like to, but I’m not free tonight.
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Oh, it's out of tune. I'd like to, but I really can't make it work this time.
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Or, what about this one: Shoot, that sounds fun. Sorry I can’t make it.
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Or, Sorry I can’t come.
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You get the idea.
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Situation 4: you get a phone call, a sales call, someone wants to talk to you about switching phone companies.
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Or, you’re walking down the street and someone wants to sell you something or
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have you give money to their charity. You can be brief.
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You can simply say: Sorry, or, not today. Or, I’m not interested, thanks.
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There are lots of different ways to express “no”.
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Memorizing some of these phrases will make easier for you to decline an invitation
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or not to do something you’re asked to do.
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It feels nice to have creative ways to express yourself, other than a blunt “no”, doesn’t it?
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06:03
Here’s last week’s video on ways to say you’re busy.
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Lots of really useful phrases and idioms there.
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If you’ve already seen that one, then check out another Rachel’s English video in the suggested videos.
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And don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already.
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What other situations do you need English phrases for?
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Let me know in the comments below.
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That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
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