No way!

First of all: 

If you want to push yourself a bit, try reading the blog and viewing the video in the Spanish version first. You can always come back here if you want to check a particular word or phrase. Just click on "English" or "Español" in the menu above.

Note: the video below is part of a complete lesson in our ebook "Spanish for Perfectionists No. 1". See below for more information about our ebooks and a free sample lesson. 

Hi. I’m Elizabeth, from Real Spanish, and a keen learner of Spanish, like you.

I collect interesting and useful Spanish phrases, sometimes several in one day— in a movie, a newspaper, a podcast, or just a normal day-to-day interaction with Spanish speakers— it’s become a kind of hobby. I live in Barcelona, so I have plenty of source material.

Spanish is wonderfully expressive and you can add loads of colour and authenticity to your own speech if you have a good repertoire of useful vivid phrases you can use in real conversations with native speakers. They really help to string your ideas together and express what you really mean.

Why not develop your own collection of useful expressions? If you are not surrounded by Spanish speakers every day, how about a language partner online? We have a blog post about that, in English or Spanish. Or you can watch films and TV shows. Did you know that on YouTube and Netflix you can slow down the audio playback for the difficult bits?  Don’t know how? We have a video for that! Watch on your computer but keep WordReference.com open on your phone: or tablet  (or any other combination of two screens, to save you switching back and forth between apps). It’s the best resource I have found for colloquial expressions. Professional translators use it. 

The video below explains some great expressions that you can use in real conversations with native speakers to reject an idea, a proposal or a request. I’m sure you already know what ¡Qué va! means. You could translate it as “No way”. But I bet this one sounds strange: ¡Ni qué niño muerto! literally means “Not even a dead child”. Sounds grim, right? We explain its curious origin in the video below, so let’s get on with it.

All the best for your adventures in Spanish,

Elizabeth from Real Spanish

The video:

Below the video you'll find the English transcript, and below that you’ll find a few more expressions with similar meanings, but at various levels of informality: some are OK for expressing disagreement in work meetings, while others are best saved for family and friends.

Transcript in English: 

Hello and welcome to this mini-lesson on some expressions for rejecting an idea, a proposal, or a request. One expression you’ll often hear is “¡Qué va!”. It’s used to contradict what another person has said — in other words, to say that things are quite the opposite. For example

Did you have a good time at the party?

No way! It was incredibly boring — I went home very early.

Antonio: You look great! And that dress — is it new?

Celia: No way! It’s ancient, but I’ve only worn it once.

Antonio: Well, it suits you perfectly!

Another colloquial expression is “¡ni lo sueñes!” — “don’t even dream of it!” For example:

Mum, will you buy me these jeans?

Don’t even dream of it! They’re too tight to be decent.

Other useful expressions that can be used in the same way are: “¡ni en broma!” (“not a chance!”) or “¡ni hablar!” (“out of the question!”).

Antonio: Are you going to invite your work colleagues to dinner some day?

Celia: Not a chance! I get on terribly with them…

Antonio: Oh! I thought you liked them.

There’s a very curious expression that conveys contempt and disagreement with what another person says: “¡ni qué niño muerto!”. For example:

I’m going to write a book about my life.

A book? Forget it! You’ve never written anything in your life!

The origin of this expression relates to the fact that many years ago, children who died before being baptised could not be considered as people — in other words, an unbaptised dead child was the same as nothing.

Another very similar expression is “¡ni qué gaitas!”. For example:

Can I go to the cinema with Ana?

The cinema? No way! What you need to do is study for tomorrow’s exam.

The gaita is a musical instrument typical of Galicia. This expression means that what is being proposed is not worth it — just like the gaita. It sounds like an insult to Galicia’s traditional instrument, though nowadays nobody thinks about its literal meaning.

There you have six expressions for rejecting an idea, a proposal, or a request. There are more examples in our blog.

Right, that’s all for today. See you next time!

And a few more for your collection:

Here are a few more expressions you can use to reject a request, a suggestion, or an idea. Of course you can just say no, but your speech will be more expressive (and impressive) if you can use some of the expressions below. Some are more formal than others.

Expression	Comments	Example in context
¡Qué va a + infinitivo! ¡Qué va!	Colloquial: used exactly the same way as “No way!” or “Not at all!” contradicting what the other person said.	¿Tu amigo Juan es actor? ¡Qué va a ser actor! Es profesor pero le gusta mucho el teatro.¿Te lo pasaste bien en la fiesta? ¡Qué va! Fue aburridísima, me fui a casa muy temprano.
¡Ni lo sueñes!	Colloquial: used exactly the same way as “In your dreams!” or “Don’t even think about it!”	Mamá, ¿me compras estos vaqueros? ¡Ni lo sueñes! Son demasiado ceñidos para ser decentes.
¡Ni en broma!	Colloquial: used as “No way!” “Don’t even think about it!” or “You must be joking!”	¿Estás pensando en volver a vivir con tus padres? ¡Ni en broma! Estoy muy feliz viviendo sola.
¡Ni hablar!	Colloquial: used the same way as “Forget about it! or “Don’t even go there!”	¿Me ayudas con este informe? ¡Ni hablar! La última vez que te ayudé, te llevaste todo el mérito.
¡Qué _____ ni qué gaitas!	Colloquial. Use the same way you would use “Not a chance!” or “In your dreams!” Gaitas are Galician bagpipes. The expression means that what is being proposed is not even worth considering. Pretty insulting about Galicia’s famous musical instrument.	¿Puedo ir al cine con Ana? ¡Qué cine ni qué gaitas! Lo que tienes que hacer es estudiar para el examen de mañana.
¡Qué_______, ni qué _______!	Colloquial. Use the same way as the gaitas expressions above.	¿Puedo ir al cine con Ana? ¡Qué cine ni qué cine! Lo que tienes que hacer es estudiar para el examen de mañana.
¡Qué_______ ni qué niño muerto!	Colloquial: “Nonsense!”, or ‘Don’t talk nonsense!’ This expression has nothing to do with dead children, although its origins have to do with arguments about whether children who died before being baptised could be counted in a census.	Voy a escribir un libro sobre mi vida. ¡Pero qué libro ni qué niño muerto! ¡Si tú no has escrito en tu vida!
¡Anda ya!	Colloquial. Can be used as “No way!” or “Come on, get away with you!”	Hoy viene Penélope Cruz a cenar a este restaurante. ¡Anda ya! ¡No te lo crees ni tú!
En absoluto	Quite formal. This doesn’t mean “absolutely”. It means “absolutely not” or “out of the question”. For “absolutely” use the adverb: absolutamente.	¿Tuviste miedo durante el juicio? En absoluto, estaba muy tranquila.
De ninguna manera/ningún modo	Formal and very explicit: “absolutely not” or there is no way (that)…”	¿Le va a dar un ascenso en la empresa? De ninguna manera/ningún modo (le doy un ascenso). Llega tarde al trabajo cada dos por tres.
Bajo ningún concepto	Formal and very strong: “under no circumstances”.	No me importa lo mal que se sienta, no permito el uso de este tipo de lenguaje bajo ningún concepto.

How did you like this video?

If you enjoyed this Trocito, I think you’ll like this one too, featuring the expression “Con el culo al aire” and other Spanish idioms featuring body parts. As you can imagine, a couple are a bit vulgar. 

If you like learning expressions like these, check out our YouTube playlists.

You might also be interested in our new series of videos and ebook “Spanish for Perfectionists”. You can get a free sample lesson and a free Guide for users that’s full of practical tips for language learners.

Ready for something more demanding? Take a look at our online Spanish courses.

Real Spanish: online Spanish video lessons for intermediate and advanced learners who love the language and want to use it with confidence.