Saying ‘NO’ is part of our daily life.
And for some of you English learners, this two-letter word might be all you manage to use
to express your disagreement or to decline an offer.
But did you know that in English answering “No” or even “No thanks” can sound a bit rude?
It might sound OK in your native language,
however in English, there are much better ways to express this negative word
without leaving such a negative impression.
Or maybe you’re that kind of person who feels bad saying “no” to others
and ends up doing things that you didn’t want to do in the first place.
Well, after watching this video, I promise this shouldn’t happen to you again,
as you’ll learn different ways of saying “NO” in a formal,
respectful, clear, and polite way.
Pay lots of attention, take notes if you need to.
Towards the end of the video... I’ll test you!
So here’s the deal, let’s imagine the following scenario:
At work, your boss asks you if you can participate in project X next semester.
But you can’t, because you already have too much work
and you just know you won’t be able to fulfill this commitment to a high standard.
“No thanks, I can’t.”
As I was saying earlier, the way we express ourselves determines if we sound rude or polite.
To politely turn down a proposal, it’s important you add 3 elements to your answer:
# 1- Denial → Say that you can’t
# 2- Justification → Explain why you can't
# 3- Show gratitude and if needed, add an apology
→ Express these by giving thanks or by apologizing
# 1- Denial
“I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“I would if I could, but I can’t.”
You can replace the connector “but” for a synonym such as “however” or “unfortunately.”
“I wish I could, however I can’t.”
“I would if I could, unfortunately I can’t.”
Instead of using “I can’t” you can also say
“I’m unable to,”
“I’m not available,”
or “I have to deny.”
Let’s try it with other examples:
“If only I could, but I’m not available next semester to work on this project.”
Notice how I always added a brief pause between the first part of the sentence and the second?
“I’d love to, however I have to deny.”
This is an important fluency detail.
Let’s recap this first point:
The word “afraid” here doesn’t mean you’re scared.
“Afraid” would be a synonym of “unfortunately.”
So let's add this one to our table and get ready to screenshot in 3, 2, 1...
Next, we’ll add element number 2: Justification.
But before we continue, please do me a favor and subscribe to our channel
so you won't miss out on any of our great videos.
You can’t say NO to that!!
If you’re watching this video on Facebook, Instagram, or another social media page, make sure you like and follow us.
Thank you!
# 2- Justification.
Whichever the reason you’re declining, don’t give too many details.
Just keep it brief and add the words “due to,” “because,” or “as,” to add to your justification.
In the previous scenario, the justification was too much work.
So an expression for this is “to have too much on your plate”:
“I wish I could, but I’m not able to accept this proposal for the next semester…
... as I already have too much on my plate.”
... because I already have too much on my plate.”
If you don’t want the person to know why you are declining, you can just say you have “other commitments.”
So, “I’m unable to participate due to my other commitments.”
That sounds perfect!
But to finish off, let’s add the cherry on top of the cake!
Element 3: # 3- Gratitude and apology
# 3- Gratitude / Apology
You can place this element at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
I prefer to apologize at the beginning and place gratitude towards the end,
as I think finishing the sentence with positive words leaves the listener with a positive thought.
But that’s my personal point of view. And I’ll show you some examples now.
So which words would you use in English to give thanks or to apologize?
Of course, words like “thank you,” “sorry,” or “apologize.”
So let’s retake the last sentence:
“I’m unable to participate due to my other commitments.”
Quick tip: add the person’s name at the beginning of the sentence to give a personal touch.
“Thank you, Mr. Wilson.
However, I’m afraid I’m unable to participate
due to my other commitments.”
“Mr. Wilson, thanks for considering me to participate in project X, however…
Other sentences you could use to express gratitude are:
“That was really nice of you thinking of me…”
Or “I’m honored with your proposal…”
Now let’s talk about the apology. This one is optional: you might need it or not.
If you do, then go ahead and add “I’m sorry” or “I apologize” somewhere in your answer:
“I’m sorry Mr. Wilson but I’m unable to participate due to my other work commitments.”
“Mr. Wilson, I wish I could participate with the upcoming project,
however I can’t due to my other commitments. Sorry.”
“I apologize Mr. Wilson, I’m unable to participate with the next project next semester
due to my other work commitments.”
These sentences all mean the same!
See? You can be creative and come up with different combinations.
To be EXTRA polite, add in both apology and gratitude:
“Mr. Wilson, I’m honored with your proposal,
however, I’m sorry to tell you that I can’t participate in project X next semester
as I already have too much on my plate.
But thank you so much for thinking of me.”
How polite!
You will never feel bad saying “no” again this way, and it’ll be very difficult for your boss to get mad at you!
Now you have all the elements to answer politely,
I’d like you to think of a nice answer for the following scenario:
Your friend John has invited you for his birthday party.
But on that same day you’ve planned to go to the zoo with your family
and you really don’t feel like canceling it, especially because you’ve already bought the tickets for the zoo.
Although this situation is less formal than the previous one,
you still want to answer kindly to your friend John without hurting his feelings.
And answering a simple “No, I’m sorry, I can't. I’m busy that day,” is definitely a no-no!
So remember to include the 3 elements,
and type down below your answer.
I’ll check it out and give you my feedback afterwards.
I’m curious to see it!
I hope you found this video helpful.
Thank you for watching. See you next time!
Bye!
If you learned something new from his video, give it a thumbs up!
Then, hit subscribe and turn on your notifications.
Have a look around our channel for more hacks and tips.
And if you're watching on another social media platform, like or follow our page.
See you next time!