{"id":94277,"date":"2023-10-04T16:51:54","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T20:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/how-to-say-no-in-german\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T06:49:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T11:49:57","slug":"how-to-say-no-in-german","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/how-to-say-no-in-german\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say “No” in German"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost anybody familiar with pop culture depictions of Germany has seen somebody angry shouting “Nein!”<\/em> (no) in a movie, TV show<\/a> or even commercial.<\/p>\n

Different cultures have different unwritten rules about saying “no” to things, so someone from the United States, for instance, might think that Germans are a little bit rude<\/a> when they say “no.” They’re not being rude, though\u2014it’s just a little bit of cultural difference.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about how to say “no” in German like a native speaker would, with different terms for different situations.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Saying “No” in German Politely<\/h2>\n

In German, the way to say “no” politely involves an explanation of the negation, instead of simply saying the word “no” alone.<\/strong> This is true in English as well, which is why it may sound like common sense.<\/p>\n

For example, imagine that somebody goes into a hotel and asks to use the restroom, but they’re not a guest and so they’re refused.<\/p>\n

That refusal is likely to take the form of something like this: a polite, formal statement with an explanation of why.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leider sind die Toiletten nur f\u00fcr G\u00e4ste dieses Hotels.<\/em> (Unfortunately, the toilets are only for guests of this hotel.)<\/p>\n

They’re also very likely to include one of these phrases: Entschuldigung<\/em><\/strong> (excuse me) or Tut mir Leid<\/em><\/strong> (I’m sorry).<\/p>\n

Es tut mir wirklich Leid,<\/strong> aber wir k\u00f6nnen mit dir nicht kommen.<\/em>\u00a0(I’m truly sorry, but we can’t come with you.)<\/p>\n

One of the more subtle things that most people just end up picking up naturally is a kind of repetition of the verb in a lot of negative answers. It’s easier to show than explain:<\/p>\n

“Spielt ihr Gitarre?” <\/em>(“Do you play guitar?”)
\n<\/em>“Nein, Gitarre spielen wir nicht.”<\/strong><\/em> (“No, we don’t play guitar.”)<\/p>\n

“Haben Sie einen Pepsi?” <\/em>(“Do you have Pepsi?”)
\n<\/em>“Nein, Pepsi nicht.<\/strong> Vielleicht wollen Sie einen Coca-Cola?”<\/em> (“No, no Pepsi. Perhaps you’d like a Coca-Cola?”)<\/p>\n

This definitely isn’t a prescribed way to give a “no” answer in German. Instead, it’s sort of a typical negative response to a question<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The word lieber<\/em><\/strong> is a good alternative to a direct no, as it means “rather.” It can come after nicht<\/em> or stand by itself.<\/p>\n

Ich gehe lieber nicht<\/strong> in die Kneipe.<\/em> (I’d rather not go to the bar.)<\/p>\n

“M\u00f6chtest du ‘Moana’ sehen?” <\/em>(“Would you like to see ‘Moana’?”
\n“Ich w\u00fcrde lieber ‘Frozen’ sehen.”<\/em>\u00a0(“I’d prefer to see ‘Frozen.'”)<\/p>\n

This happens to be a perfect example of something that might come across as a little too direct and rude in English, but is totally acceptable in German.<\/p>\n

Whether or not you’re from a culture where the politeness scale is calibrated like it is in German, picking up on the ways that language affects politeness can be a daunting task.<\/p>\n

The single best way to do this is to watch Germans and learn from them. After all, the more authentic German media you consume, the better handle you\u2019ll get on the cultural aspect of saying \u201cno\u201d in German.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

\r\n