ahora no
/aoɾa no/from spelling rules
The English phrase "not now" is translated into Spanish as ahora no.
ahora no is used to tell someone that you cannot or do not want to do something at the present moment. You can use the phrase as an exclamation, ¡Ahora no!, as a common way to abruptly tell someone to stop what they are doing or to leave you alone.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ahora (now) and no (no/not).
Which one should you use?
While ahora no means "not now", adding mismo to create ahora mismo no intensifies the meaning to "not right this very second".
How do you pronounce it?
/aoɾa no/
Did you know?
- The word ahora is a contraction of the Latin phrase hāc hōrā, which means 'at this hour'.
Examples in context
- Ahora no estoy en condición de ayudarte.I am not now in a position to help you.This sentence shows how to use ahora no to explain you are not in a position to help.Tatoeba #1349491 by marcelostockle, translation #257449 by CK
- ¡Ahora no!Not now!This is an example of using ahora no as an abrupt exclamation.Tatoeba #1745746 by marcelostockle, translation #1745743 by Spamster
- Cariño, ahora no.Not now, honey.Tatoeba #4509804 by Shishir, translation #2486538 by Hybrid
- Disculpe, ¿puede ayudarme ahora? – Lo siento, pero ahora no puedo.Excuse me, could you help me now? – I'm sorry, but I can't right now.
- ¿Podría hablar con el gerente? – En este momento no está disponible.Could I speak with the manager? – He's not available at the moment.
- Oye, ¿puedes prestarme dinero ahora? – Ahorita no tengo efectivo.Hey, can you lend me money now? – I don't have cash right now.
- ¿Quieres ir al cine? – No en este momento, tengo otros planes.Do you want to go to the movies? – Not right now, I have other plans.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro asks María to help him with a chore while she is busy.
- MaríaMaría, ¿puedes ayudarme con la cocina?María, can you help me with the kitchen?
- AlejandroLo siento, Alejandro, ahora no puedo.I'm sorry, Alejandro, not now I can't.
- María¿Cuándo tienes tiempo entonces?When do you have time then?
- AlejandroAhora no, pero te ayudo en diez minutos.Not now, but I'll help you in ten minutes.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ahora, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
