Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| ¡Dios no lo quiera! | |
| ¡Que Dios lo impida! | |
| ¡Dios nos libre! | /ˈdjos nos ˈlibɾe/ (word by word) |
| Dios no lo quiera | /djos no lo kjeɾa/ (from spelling rules) |
| Dios me libre | /ˌdjos me ˈlibɾe/ |
The phrase ¡Dios no lo quiera! is frequently used as an interjection in the middle of a sentence to express a strong desire that a particular negative outcome does not happen.
Which one should you use?
¡Dios no lo quiera! focuses on a specific event not happening, whereas ¡Dios nos libre! is often used as a more general plea for protection or to be delivered from a perceived threat or evil, meaning 'God deliver us!'
How does it change in a sentence?
In ¡Dios no lo quiera!, the phrase uses the present subjunctive mood (quiera) to express a wish or a desire for a hypothetical situation not to occur. The expression Dios me libre personalizes the phrase with the pronoun 'me', and is often used when the speaker is reacting to a suggestion or a possibility that they find personally offensive, undesirable or absurd.
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers often use these phrases as 'apotropaic' expressions to ward off bad luck, even if they are not particularly religious.
- While the English phrase 'god forbid' uses the word 'forbid', the Spanish version Dios no lo quiera! literally translates to 'May God not want it!', using the verb 'querer' to mean 'to want' or 'to desire'.
- The root of the word for 'God' in Spanish, Dios, is actually linked to the Proto-Indo-European word for 'sky' or 'heaven'.
Examples in context
- Si tengo un día, Dios no lo quiera, de morir, que sea este mi epitafio: Solo necesitó una prueba de la existencia de Dios: la música.If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music.This sentence shows how to use Dios no lo quiera as an interjection within a sentence.Tatoeba #3535645 by carlosalberto, translation #3535556 by carlosalberto
- Ojalá que no ocurra que nieve en nuestro día libre.God forbid it snows on our day off.
- Ojalá que no ocurra que cancelen el concierto.God forbid the concert gets canceled.
- No vaya a ser que perdamos el trenGod forbid we miss the train
- No vaya a ser que olvidemos comprar comida.God forbid we forget to buy groceries.
- No vaya a ser que te vuelvas a perder el autobús.God forbid you miss the bus again.
- ¡Dios no lo quiera!, pero me preocupa su salud.God forbid, but I am worried about his health.
- Perder el trabajo ahora sería terrible, ¡Dios no lo quiera!Losing the job now would be terrible, god forbid!
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are discussing a potential flight delay.
- ElenaCreo que el vuelo se va a cancelar.I think the flight is going to be canceled.
- Javier¡Dios no lo quiera!, tenemos que llegar mañana.God forbid! We have to arrive tomorrow.
- ElenaEspero que solo sea un pequeño retraso.I hope it is only a small delay.
- JavierOjalá sea así, Elena.I hope so, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “God forbid” translations and entries Dios me libre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Dios, nos, libre) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Dios, dios, libre, lo, no, nos, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
