para nada
/ˌpaɾa ˈnada/
The Spanish phrase for "nuh uh" is para nada.
para nada is used to strongly deny a statement or to emphasize that something is absolutely not the case, meaning "not at all" or "no way".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, para nada means "not at all". In Spain, you might use De ninguna manera to mean "No way" or En absoluto to mean "Absolutely not".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌpaɾa ˈnada/
Did you know?
- The word nada comes from a Latin expression meaning 'no born thing', which was used as a poetic way to say 'nobody' or 'nothing'.
- The phrase para nada uses a word, para, which is also a common way to say 'stop' in Spanish, derived from the verb 'parar'.
- The phrase para nada can be placed at the very beginning or the very end of a sentence without changing the meaning of the denial.
Examples in context
- No me duele para nada.It doesn't hurt me one bit.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing a movie they recently watched.
- Lucía¿Te aburrió la película?Was the movie boring for you?
- JavierPara nada, fue muy emocionante.Not at all, it was very exciting.
- Lucía¿Crees que es mala?Do you think it is bad?
- JavierNo, para nada.No, not at all.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry para nada, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nada, para, CC BY-SA 4.0.
