no, la verdad es que no
The English phrase "no, not really" can be translated into Spanish as no, la verdad es que no.
This phrase is used to give a polite or softened negative answer to a question. By using this expression, you make a negative response sound less blunt or dismissive than a simple no.
What does it mean word for word?
The part la verdad es que no literally translates to "the truth is that no".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
no, la verdad es que no is a polite way to decline an offer or answer a question negatively in social situations. For an informal way to say "no, not really", you can use No, para nada.
Did you know?
- While la verdad es que no is used to soften a rejection, Spanish speakers often accompany such polite negatives with a slight tilt of the head or a shrug to further diminish the bluntness.
- The informal alternative para nada literally means 'for nothing', but it is used as an emphatic way to say 'not at all' or 'no way'.
- The word que in this phrase evolved from the Latin word quid, which means 'what', yet it has completely taken over the grammatical roles of the Latin word 'quod', which means 'that'.
Examples in context
- ¿Te gusta el cine? No, la verdad es que no.Do you like going to the movies? No, not really.
- ¿Te gustaría ser voluntario en nuestro evento? No, en realidad no.Would you like to volunteer for our event? No, not really.
- ¿Te agrada el fútbol? No, no mucho la verdad.Do you like soccer? No, not really.
- ¿Te gusta el flamenco? No, en realidad no me va.Do you like flamenco? No, not really.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are discussing a movie they just watched.
- SofíaMateo, ¿te gustó el final de la película?Mateo, did you like the end of the movie?
- MateoNo, la verdad es que no me convenció.No, not really, it didn't convince me.
- SofíaYo tampoco, fue muy predecible.Me neither, it was too predictable.
- MateoExacto, esperaba algo más original.Exactly, I was hoping for something more original.
