How to say no politely

Saying no to a kind offer or invitation can be tricky. We often feel slightly embarrassed by it – the last thing we want is to upset or offend the person who is making the offer. Luckily, there are a number of ways to ‘soften’ the refusal – to make it more polite and acceptable.

Let’s imagine someone invites you out to dinner with a group of friends on Friday and you are unable to go. Of course, you could simply reply ‘No, thank you.’ or say ‘I can’t.’ but either of these responses might sound a little rude – or at least, not very friendly! The easiest way to ‘soften’ your reply is to start with an apology and a brief explanation of why you can’t come:

– I’m sorry, I’m busy on Friday. – Sajnálom, de pénteken nem érek rá.

– I’m afraid I can’t make this Friday. – Attól tartok, hogy ez a péntek nem lesz jó nekem.

You might add that you would love to do whatever the person is offering, even though you can’t:

– I’d love to come out this Friday but I’m afraid I’m busy. – Nagyon szeretnék eljönni pénteken, de attól tartok, hogy nem fogok ráérni.

You might, instead, say how nice or tempting the offer is:

– It would be really nice, but I’m afraid I can’t come. – Igazán jó lenne, de attól tartok, hogy nem tudok jönni.

– That sounds great, but I’m afraid I can’t come. – Jól hangzik, de attól tartok, hogy nem tudok jönni.

– That’s a really nice invitation, but I’m afraid I can’t come. – Igazán nagyszerű meghívás, de atól tartok, hogy nem tudok jönni.

A natural next step is to say a little more about why you can’t accept the offer. This explanation softens the refusal, letting the other person know that there is a good reason why you can’t come:

– I’m not in town this Friday. – Pénteken nem leszek a városban.

– I’m busy this Friday – I’m going out with colleagues. – Pénteken nem érek rá. A kollégáimmal megyünk valahová.

– I’ve already arranged to see an old friend on Friday. – Már megbeszéltem, hogy egy régi barátommal fogok pénteken találkozni.

You might then mention that you would be interested in a similar invitation in the future, (if this is true!):

– But if you ever arrange another night out, I’d love to come. – De ha netán újra ilyen elmenős estét szervezel, nagyon szívesen csatlakoznék.

– Another time, I’d love to come. – Egy másik alkalommal szívesen jönnék.

Something else that we sometimes have to refuse is the offer of food. Refusing food can feel very rude, especially if the person offering it has made the dish, but there are ways to make a refusal more polite. If someone offers you food and you don’t want any because you are not hungry, the best way to refuse the offer is to explain that you have already eaten:

– ‘No, thank you, I’ve just eaten.’ – Köszönöm, nem kérek, éppen most ettem.

You might also add that the food looks good:

– ‘No, thank you, I’ve just eaten. It does look delicious though! – Köszönöm, nem kérek, éppen most ettem. De nagyon finomnak néz ki az étel!

If someone offers you a second helping of food and you don’t want any more, start by saying how nice the food was and then refuse:

– That was absolutely delicious, but I couldn’t manage any more, thank you! – Nagyon finom volt, de köszönöm, nem fér belém több-

Now that we’ve learnt how to say no politely let’s hope your week is full of pleasant offers and that you are able to accept at least one or two!

source: dictionaryblog.cambridge.org