yo no
/ʝo no/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "not me" is yo no.
yo no is a standard way to deny that you are the person who did something or is being referred to. In conversational Spanish, it is often used as a complete sentence fragment in response to a question.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the subject pronoun yo (I) and the negation no (not/no).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, No fui is a common shortened form of No fui yo used in informal situations. In Spain, No he sido is an alternative to No he sido yo used in both formal and informal scenarios.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, which uses the object pronoun "me" in this context, Spanish uses the subject pronoun yo combined with no.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝo no/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the word no can be a contraction of the Latin 'numero', which originally meant 'number'.
- When using yo no to decline an invitation or a choice, it often acts as a shorthand for yo no quiero (I don't want to).
- Using yo no with a strong emphasis on yo can be perceived as defensive or indignant, rather than a simple statement of fact.
Examples in context
- "¿Alguien más quiere morir?" preguntó el terrorista. "Yo no" fue mi respuesta."Anyone else want to die?", asked the terrorist. "Not me", I answered.This sentence shows how yo no can function as a direct response in a dialogue.Tatoeba #1774912 by Shishir, translation #10121568 by DJ_Saidez
- Yo no, ¿y tú?Not me. And you?This sentence demonstrates using yo no in a short conversational exchange.Tatoeba #10067206 by DJ_Saidez, translation #10067195 by DJ_Saidez
- No, yo no. Es mi hermano menor.No, not me. It's my younger brother.This sentence shows how to use yo no to clarify that someone else is being referred to.Tatoeba #456508 by lukaszpp, translation #456507 by lukaszpp
- No fui yo, lo siento mucho.It wasn't me, I'm very sorry.
- No fui yo, ¡de verdad! Probablemente lo dejaste en casa.Not me, really! You probably left it at home.
- No he sido yo, podría haber ocurrido un malentendido.Not me, there might have been a misunderstanding.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a kitchen, Mateo is asking María about a broken plate.
- Mateo¿Tú rompiste el plato?Did you break the plate?
- MaríaYo no, Mateo. Fue el gato.Not me, Mateo. It was the cat.
- MateoEntonces, ¿quién fue?Then, who was it?
- MaríaNo sé, pero yo no fui.I don't know, but it wasn't me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries no, yo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
