Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| no | /ˈno/ |
| no pues | /no pwes/ (from spelling rules) |
no works as a plain answer to a question and also goes before a verb to make it negative, much like English not. For the casual feel of no, bro, Spanish speakers add a word for a friend after it: No, hermano and No, amigo are informal and friendly and No, compadre is a colloquial choice for a good buddy.
Which one should you use?
No, hermano literally means no, brother and sounds warm and friendly. No, amigo is approachable and easy to use anywhere. No, compadre suits a close friend. With someone older or in authority, say No, señor/señora instead.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
no pues is a colloquial filler heard in certain dialects, often showing resignation or disbelief or used to move a conversation along.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Venezuela people say No, chamo and in Mexico No, carnal is the usual way to say no, bro.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Put no right before the verb to negate it, where English would use not.
How do you pronounce it?
no is pronounced /ˈno/, one syllable with a pure o sound and no glide at the end like the English word.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use no alone in front of a noun to mean none or not any. For that, Spanish uses ninguno or ninguna.
Did you know?
- The term compadre in No, compadre refers specifically to the relationship between a parent and the godparent of their child.
- Spanish speakers may use no as a question tag at the end of a sentence to seek confirmation, similar to how English speakers use 'right?'
- In Spanish, using no twice in a sentence is common and grammatically correct when answering a negative question, such as 'No, I do not'.
Examples in context
- No, aún no sé.No, I still don't know.Here no appears twice, first as the answer and then before the verb.Tatoeba #1502230 by marcelostockle, translation #9966252 by DJ_Saidez
- Esto y no más.This and no more.no más here means no more.Tatoeba #2268897 by cueyayotl, translation #2268896 by _undertoad
- Yo ya dije no.I already said no.no is used as the reply that was given.Tatoeba #4563333 by ecorralest101, translation #4562444 by Hybrid
- 3432 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are deciding whether to go to a party.
- Mateo¿Quieres ir a la fiesta con nosotros?Do you want to go to the party with us?
- LucíaNo, tengo que estudiar.No, I have to study.
- Mateo¿No puedes venir solo un momento?Can't you come just for a moment?
- LucíaNo, de verdad no puedo.No, I really can't.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “no” translations and entries no, 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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
