nej
/nɛj/
In Swedish, "no" is expressed as nej.
nej is used as a particle to express disagreement or to provide a negative answer to a question.
Meaning: used to show disagreement or negation (particle)
Which one should you use?
While nej is used as a standalone particle to express disagreement or answer a question, the word inte is the adverb used to negate verbs within a sentence.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a noun meaning 'a refusal' or 'a no', nej is a neuter noun and takes the indefinite form ett nej.
How do you pronounce it?
/nɛj/
Did you know?
- When answering a negative question, such as 'You aren't coming?', Swedes use jo instead of nej to indicate that they actually are coming.
- The word nej is actually a cognate of the English word 'nay', though 'nay' is now considered archaic or used specifically in formal voting.
- The word nej can be used as an interjection to express a mild 'oh no' or 'goodness' when something unexpected happens, regardless of whether a choice is being made.
Examples in context
- Varför sa du nej?Why did you say no?This sentence is useful for understanding how to use nej in a question.Tatoeba #4326107 by richke, translation #3822017 by CK
- Jag hade sagt nej.I'd have said no.This sentence shows the use of nej in a conditional context.Tatoeba #4449617 by richke, translation #2549361 by CK
- Säg nej till droger.Say no to drugs.This sentence demonstrates how to use nej as a command.Tatoeba #4439394 by richke, translation #827226 by Scott
- Jag beklagar, men det fungerar inte för mig.I'm sorry, but it doesn't work for me.
- Tack för erbjudandet, men jag måste tacka nej.Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline.
- Nja, jag tror inte det.Well, I don't think so.
- Nej, jag vill inte.No, I don't want to.
- Jag skulle vilja, men jag kan inte just nu.I would like to, but I can't right now.
- 63 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Linnea asks Oscar if he wants more coffee.
- LinneaVill du ha mer kaffe?Do you want more coffee?
- OscarNej, tack. Jag är mätt.No, thanks. I am full.
- LinneaÄr du säker?Are you sure?
- OscarJa, nej tack.Yes, no thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “no” translations and entries nej, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
