How to Say No in German? Formal & Informal Ways

How to Say “No” in German Formally?

There are different ways to pronounce no in German language; one of them is nein. Formally, a person can simply decline something by saying the word "Nein", which is pronounced as "nine" in English. But apart from this, you can use more words to say no in a formal way.

Nein

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.

Q1: Haben Sie Hunger? (Are you hungry?)

Answer: Nein (No)

Q2: Möchten Sie mehr Bier? (Would you like more beer?)

Answer: Nein, danke. (No, thank you)

Q3: Ist das Ihr Auto? (Is that your car?)

Answer: Nein (No)

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Nicht

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.

Q1: Isst du Burger? (Are you eating a burger?)

Answer: Ich esse keinen Burger. (I am not eating burger.)

Q2: Ist Ihr Bett gelb? (Is your bed yellow?)

Answer: Mein Bett ist nicht gelb. (My bed is not yellow.)

Q3: 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.)

Also read: Greetings in German

Kein

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.

Q1: Hast du ein Flugzeug? (Do you have an airplane?)

Answer: Ich habe kein Flugzeug. (I do not have an airplane.)

Q2: Trägst du einen Pullover? (Are you wearing a sweater?)

Answer: Ich trage keinen Pullover. (I am not wearing a sweater.)

Q3: 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.)

Keineswegs

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.

1. Ich bin keineswegs einverstanden. (I don't agree with that at all.)
2. Hat ihm das Spaß gemacht? Keineswegs! (Did he enjoy it? Not at all!)
3. Das ist keineswegs eine gute Idee. (That is by no means a good idea.)

Niemals

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.

1. Ich werde das niemals vergessen. (I will never forget that.)
2. Sie hat das Haus niemals verlassen. (She never left the house.)
3. Wir werden uns niemals wiedersehen. (We will never see each other again.)

Leider nicht

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.

1. Ich habe leider nicht die Zeit. (I, unfortunately, don't have the time.)
2. Leider nicht, ich bin heute schon beschäftigt. (Unfortunately not, I'm already busy today.)
3. Kannst du mir helfen? - Leider nicht. (Can you help me? - Unfortunately not.)

Many students and beginners have questions about how to say no in German in formal language, and finally you have got the answer.

Informal Ways to Say “No” in German

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.

Nö

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.

Q1: Triffst du dich heute mit Johannes? (Are you meeting Johannes today?)

Answer: Nö. (Nope.)

Q2: Hast du das Buch gelesen? (Have you read the book?)

Answer: Nö, noch nicht. (Nope, not yet.)

Q3: Kann ich dir helfen? (Can I help you?)

Answer: Nö, danke. (Nope, thank you.)

Nee

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.

1. Nee, ich habe keine Zeit. (No, I don't have time.)
2. Nee, ich bin nicht müde. (No, I am not tired.)
3. Nee, ich möchte das nicht. (No, I don't want that.)

Absolut nicht!

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.

1. Ich möchte das nicht, absolut nicht! (I don't want that, absolutely not!)
2. Das ist absolut nicht mein Stil. (That's absolutely not my style.)
3. Wir können das nicht machen, absolut nicht! (We can't do that, absolutely not!)

Das geht nicht

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.

1. Das geht nicht, ich habe keine Zeit. (That doesn't work; I don't have time.)
2. Das geht nicht, ich bin nicht gut darin. (That won't work, I am not good at it.)
3. Wir können das Projekt nicht so schnell abschließen. Das geht nicht. (We cannot finish the project so quickly. That's not possible.)

Vergiss es!

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.

Q1: Kann ich dein Auto für eine Woche ausleihen? (Can I borrow your car for a week?)

Answer: Vergiss es! (Forget it!)

Q2: 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.)

Q3: Wie wäre es mit einem Spaziergang? (How about a walk?)

Answer: Vergiss es, ich habe keine Zeit. (Forget it, I don't have time.)

Additional German Phrases for Saying No

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.

Conclusion

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.

FAQs

How Do Germans Say No?

To say no, Germans use “nein,” which sounds like nine in English.

Is It Nein or Nien?

The German word for saying no is “nein” instead of nien.

How Do We Say Okay in German?

In German, you can say okay as “in Ordnung” (in order), gut (good), and use the English word “okay” or “OK”.

How to Reply No Politely in German?

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).