no es nada
/no es nada/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'it is nothing' is translated into Spanish as no es nada.
no es nada is used as a polite way to respond to gracias (thank you) to indicate that a favor or an action required little effort.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (not), es (is) and nada (nothing).
Which one should you use?
While no es nada means 'it is nothing', the more common and standard response to 'thank you' is de nada.
How do you pronounce it?
/no es nada/
Did you know?
- The word nada has a strange history, originating from the Latin phrase meaning 'not a born thing' or 'nobody born'.
- While no es nada is perfectly correct, using it to respond to 'thank you' can sometimes sound more emphatic or dramatic than the standard de nada.
Examples in context
- No te preocupes, no es nada grave.Don't worry, it's not serious.
- El problema que mencionaste no es nada comparado con otros.The problem you mentioned is nothing compared to others.
- No es nada importante, podemos solucionarlo fácilmente.It is nothing important, we can solve it easily.
- No es nada, no te preocupes.It is nothing, don't worry.
- No pasa nada, es solo un pequeño error.It's nothing, it's just a small mistake.
- Gracias por la ayuda. No es nada.Thanks for the help. It's nothing.
- No es nada, de verdad.It is nothing, really.
- No te preocupes, no es nada.Don't worry, it is nothing.
Example conversation
Daniel thanks Elena for helping him with his luggage.
- ElenaAquí tienes tu maleta, Daniel.Here is your suitcase, Daniel.
- DanielMuchas gracias por tu ayuda, Elena.Thank you very much for your help, Elena.
- ElenaNo es nada, fue muy fácil.It is nothing, it was very easy.
- DanielEres muy amable.You are very kind.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, nada, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
