{"id":5282,"date":"2019-10-04T13:11:58","date_gmt":"2019-10-04T11:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.realspanish.eu\/?p=391"},"modified":"2026-06-03T14:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:09:17","slug":"no-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realspanish.eu\/en\/no-way\/","title":{"rendered":"No way!"},"content":{"rendered":"

First of all:\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

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 \"Espa\u00f1ol\" in the menu above.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hi. I\u2019m Elizabeth, from Real Spanish, and a keen learner of Spanish, like you.<\/span><\/p>\n

I collect interesting and useful Spanish phrases, sometimes several in one day\u2014 in a movie, a newspaper, a podcast, or just a normal day-to-day interaction with Spanish speakers\u2014 it\u2019s become a kind of hobby. I live in Barcelona, so I have plenty of source material.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span> English<\/a><\/strong> or Spanish<\/a>. <\/strong>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?\u00a0 Don\u2019t know how? We have a video for that<\/a><\/strong>! Watch on your computer but keep<\/span> WordReference.com<\/a><\/strong> open on your phone: or tablet \u00a0(or any other combination of two screens, to save you switching back and forth between apps). It\u2019s the best resource I have found for colloquial expressions. Professional translators use it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019m sure you already know what \u00a1Qu\u00e9 va! <\/em>means. You could translate it as \u201cNo way\u201d. But I bet this one sounds strange: \u00a1Ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto!<\/em> literally means \u201cNot even a dead child\u201d. Sounds grim, right? We explain its curious origin in the video below, so let\u2019s get on with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

All the best for your adventures in Spanish,<\/span><\/p>\n

Elizabeth from Real Spanish<\/span><\/p>\n

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The video:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Below the video you'll find the English transcript, and below that you\u2019ll 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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