{"id":5282,"date":"2026-08-25T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.realspanish.eu\/?p=391"},"modified":"2026-08-28T12:21:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T12:21:21","slug":"no-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/no-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Un trocito de Real Spanish | \"Pero \u00bfQu\u00e9 fiesta? \u00a1Ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto!\" and other great ways to give a firm \"no!\" in Spanish"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #009292;\">First of all:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #009292;\">Do you know the expression <em>!Qu\u00e9 va!<\/em>? We explain it in this video, along with other great ways to give a firm \"No!\" <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #009292;\">If you want to push yourself a bit, try reading this intro in the Spanish version first. You can always come back here if you want to check a particular word or phrase. Just click on \"English\" or \"Espa\u00f1ol\" in the menu above.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #009292;\">By the way:\u00a0<em>Un trocito<\/em> is a small piece or bit of something, as in\u00a0<em>Un trocito de chocolate. <\/em>This <em>Trocito de Real Spanish<\/em>\u00a0is part of a complete lesson in our ebook <em>Spanish for Perfectionists No. 1.<\/em> See below for more information about our ebooks and a free sample lesson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hi. I\u2019m Elizabeth, from Real Spanish, and a keen learner of Spanish, like you.<\/p>\n<p>I collect interesting and useful Spanish phrases, sometimes several in one day\u2014 in a movie, a newspaper, a podcast, or just a normal day-to-day interaction with Spanish speakers\u2014 it\u2019s become a kind of hobby. I live in Barcelona, so I have plenty of source material.<\/p>\n<p>Spanish is wonderfully expressive and you can add loads of colour and authenticity to your own speech if you have a good repertoire of useful vivid phrases you can use in real conversations with native speakers. They really help to string your ideas together and express what you really mean.<\/p>\n<p>Why not develop your own collection of useful expressions? If you are not surrounded by Spanish speakers every day, how about a language partner online? We have a blog post about that, in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/blog\/improve-learning\/language-exchanges-online\/\">English<\/a><\/strong> or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/blog\/mejorar-aprendizaje\/intercambios-linguisticos-online\/\">Spanish<\/a>. <\/strong>Or you can watch films and TV shows. Did you know that on YouTube and Netflix you can slow down the audio playback for the difficult bits?\u00a0 Don\u2019t know how? We have a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SM7pRN3Zz44&amp;t=4s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video for that<\/a><\/strong>! Watch on your computer but keep <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordreference.com\/es\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WordReference.com<\/a><\/strong> open on your phone or tablet \u00a0(or any other combination of two screens, to save you switching back and forth between apps). It\u2019s the best resource I have found for colloquial expressions. Professional translators use it.<\/p>\n<p>The video below explains some great expressions that you can use in real conversations with native speakers to reject an idea, a proposal or a request. I\u2019m sure you already know what<em> \u00a1Qu\u00e9 va! <\/em>means. You could translate it as \u201cNo way\u201d. But I bet this one sounds strange<em>: \u00a1Ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto!<\/em> literally means \u201cNot even a dead child\u201d. Sounds grim, right? We explain its curious origin in the video below, so let\u2019s get on with it.<\/p>\n<p>All the best for your adventures in Spanish,<\/p>\n<p>Elizabeth from Real Spanish<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #009292;\">The video: <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Click the image to view on YouTube<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7CsOv6nJQzE?si=6rh7JThTG6sPW4H7\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #009292;\"><strong>Transcript:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Nino-muerto-transcription-Aug-25.pdf\">Nin\u0303o muerto transcription Aug 25<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #009292;\"><strong>And a few more for your collection:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Here are a few more expressions you can use to reject a request, a suggestion, or an idea. Of course you can just say no, but your speech will be more expressive (and impressive) if you can use some of the expressions below. Some are more formal than others.<\/p>\n<table class=\"paleBlueRows\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Expression<\/th>\n<th>Comments<\/th>\n<th>Example in context<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Qu\u00e9 va a + infinitivo!<br \/>\n\u00a1Qu\u00e9 va!<\/strong> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/no-way.jpg\" alt=\"No way\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial: used exactly the same way as \u201cNo way!\u201d or \u201cNot at all!\u201d contradicting what the other person said.<\/td>\n<td>\u00bfTu amigo Juan es actor?<br \/>\n\u00a1Qu\u00e9 va a ser actor! Es profesor pero le gusta mucho el teatro.\u00bfTe lo pasaste bien en la fiesta?<br \/>\n\u00a1Qu\u00e9 va! Fue aburrid\u00edsima, me fui a casa muy temprano.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Ni lo sue\u00f1es!<\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/suenos.jpg\" alt=\"Sue\u00f1os\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial: used exactly the same way as \u201cIn your dreams!\u201d or \u201cDon\u2019t even think about it!\u201d<\/td>\n<td>Mam\u00e1, \u00bfme compras estos vaqueros?<br \/>\n\u00a1Ni lo sue\u00f1es! Son demasiado ce\u00f1idos para ser decentes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Ni en broma!<\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ni-en-broma.jpg\" alt=\"Ni en broma\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial: used as \u201cNo way!\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t even think about it!\u201d or \u201cYou must be joking!\u201d<\/td>\n<td>\u00bfEst\u00e1s pensando en volver a vivir con tus padres?<br \/>\n\u00a1Ni en broma! Estoy muy feliz viviendo sola.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Ni hablar!<\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ni-hablar.png\" alt=\"Ni hablar\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial: used the same way as \u201cForget about it! or \u201cDon\u2019t even go there!\u201d<\/td>\n<td>\u00bfMe ayudas con este informe?<br \/>\n\u00a1Ni hablar! La \u00faltima vez que te ayud\u00e9, te llevaste todo el m\u00e9rito.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Qu\u00e9 _____ ni qu\u00e9 gaitas!<\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Gaitas.jpg\" alt=\"Gaitas\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial. Use the same way you would use \u201cNot a chance!\u201d or \u201cIn your dreams!\u201d Gaitas are Galician bagpipes. The expression means that what is being proposed is not even worth considering. Pretty insulting about Galicia\u2019s famous musical instrument.<\/td>\n<td>\u00bfPuedo ir al cine con Ana?<br \/>\n\u00a1Qu\u00e9 cine ni qu\u00e9 gaitas! Lo que tienes que hacer es estudiar para el examen de ma\u00f1ana.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Qu\u00e9_______, ni qu\u00e9 _______!<\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ni-que.jpg\" alt=\"Ni qu\u00e9\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial. Use the same way as the gaitas expressions above.<\/td>\n<td>\u00bfPuedo ir al cine con Ana?<br \/>\n\u00a1Qu\u00e9 cine ni qu\u00e9 cine! Lo que tienes que hacer es estudiar para el examen de ma\u00f1ana.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Qu\u00e9_______ ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto!<\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/nino-muerto.jpg\" alt=\"Ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial: \u201cNonsense!\u201d, or \u2018Don\u2019t talk nonsense!\u2019 This expression has nothing to do with dead children, although its origins have to do with arguments about whether children who died before being baptised could be counted in a census.<\/td>\n<td>Voy a escribir un libro sobre mi vida.<br \/>\n\u00a1Pero qu\u00e9 libro ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto! \u00a1Si t\u00fa no has escrito en tu vida!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a1Anda ya! <\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Anda-ya.jpg\" alt=\"Anda ya\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Colloquial. Can be used as \u201cNo way!\u201d or \u201cCome on, get away with you!\u201d<\/td>\n<td>Hoy viene Pen\u00e9lope Cruz a cenar a este restaurante.<br \/>\n\u00a1Anda ya! \u00a1No te lo crees ni t\u00fa!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>En absoluto <\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/en-absoluto.jpg\" alt=\"En absoluto\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Quite formal. This doesn\u2019t mean \u201cabsolutely\u201d. It means \u201cabsolutely <strong>not<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cout of the question\u201d. For \u201cabsolutely\u201d use the adverb: absolutamente.<\/td>\n<td>\u00bfTuviste miedo durante el juicio?<br \/>\nEn absoluto, estaba muy tranquila.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>De ninguna manera\/ning\u00fan modo <\/strong><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/niguna-manera.jpg\" alt=\"Ninguna manera\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Formal and very explicit: \u201cabsolutely not\u201d or there is no way (that)\u2026\u201d<\/td>\n<td>\u00bfLe va a dar un ascenso en la empresa?<br \/>\nDe ninguna manera\/ning\u00fan modo (le doy un ascenso). Llega tarde al trabajo cada dos por tres.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Bajo ning\u00fan concepto <\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bajo-ninguun-concepto.jpg\" alt=\"Bajo ningun concepto\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Formal and very strong: \u201cunder no circumstances\u201d.<\/td>\n<td>No me importa lo mal que se sienta, no permito el uso de este tipo de lenguaje bajo ning\u00fan concepto.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\"><\/h3>\n<div>\n<div role=\"feed\" aria-label=\"Chat messages\" aria-describedby=\"_r_u5_\">\n<div>\n<div tabindex=\"0\" role=\"article\" aria-setsize=\"13\" aria-posinset=\"13\" aria-label=\"Message 13 of 13\">\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"color: #008485;\"><strong>Frequently asked questions<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>What does \"\u00a1Qu\u00e9 va!\" mean?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt's used to deny something emphatically \u2014 something like \"no way\" or \"not a chance.\" It's a very colloquial way to contradict what someone just said.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Where does \"\u00a1Ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto!\" come from?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt's one of the most curious ways to reject something in Spanish, and it comes from an old belief: centuries ago, a child who died before being baptized wasn't legally considered a person, so \"a dead child\" was equivalent to \"nothing at all.\" Saying \"\u00a1pero qu\u00e9 libro ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto!\" is literally saying that whatever \"book\" was just mentioned counts for just as little. The <a href=\"https:\/\/dle.rae.es\/ni%C3%B1o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RAE<\/a> records this construction as being used \"in exclamatory constructions introduced by qu\u00e9 to emphatically express rejection or scorn toward what was just mentioned.\"<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>What does \"\u00a1Ni qu\u00e9 gaitas!\" mean?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt's a close cousin of \"\u00a1ni qu\u00e9 ni\u00f1o muerto!\" \u2014 used exactly the same way, by repeating whatever you want to dismiss (\"\u00a1qu\u00e9 cine ni qu\u00e9 gaitas!\" \u2014 \"the movies? no way!\"). <em>La gaita<\/em> is the traditional bagpipe of Galicia, and although nobody thinks about the literal meaning any more, the expression implies that whatever's being proposed \"isn't worth it\" \u2014 much like, apparently, a bagpipe wasn't, to whoever coined the phrase.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>What's the difference between \"\u00a1Ni en broma!\" and \"\u00a1Ni hablar!\"?<\/strong><br \/>\nBoth are colloquial and both reject something firmly, but with a slightly different flavor. \"\u00a1Ni en broma!\" \u2014 which the <a href=\"https:\/\/dle.rae.es\/broma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RAE<\/a> lists as a way to intensify a negation (\"eso no lo digas ni en broma,\" \"don't even say that as a joke\") \u2014 stresses that you wouldn't do it even in jest. \"\u00a1Ni hablar!,\" on the other hand, which the RAE defines as a formula \"used to reject or deny a proposal,\" is more often used to shut down a specific request someone has just made.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>How do you say \"no\" more formally in Spanish?<\/strong><br \/>\nIf \"\u00a1qu\u00e9 va!\" and its colloquial cousins feel too casual for the situation, Spanish has stronger, more formal alternatives: \"en absoluto\" (neutral and polite), \"de ninguna manera\" or \"de ning\u00fan modo\" (blunter), and \"bajo ning\u00fan concepto\" (the strongest of the three).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"color: #008485;\">More questions? Just ask us in the comments!<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #009292;\">How did you like this video?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #009292;\">If you enjoyed this Trocito, I think you\u2019ll like this one too, featuring the expression \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/M1gdu38MDTA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Con el culo al aire<\/a><\/strong>\u201d and other Spanish idioms featuring body parts. As you can imagine, a couple are a bit vulgar.<\/span><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #009292;\">If you like learning expressions like these, check out our<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@realspanish5535\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>YouTube playlists.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #009292;\">You might also be interested in our new series of videos and ebooks <em>Spanish for Perfectionists.<\/em> You can get a<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/spanish-for-perfectionists-free-sample-lesson-and-guide-for-users\/\"> free sample lesson and a free Guide for users <\/a><\/strong>that\u2019s full of practical tips for language learners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #009292;\">Ready for something more demanding? Take a look at our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/spanish-online-courses\/\"><strong>online Spanish courses<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #009292;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/\">Real Spanish<\/a>: online Spanish video lessons for intermediate and advanced learners<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #009292;\">who love the language and want to use it with confidence.<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First of all:\u00a0 Do you know the expression !Qu\u00e9 va!? We explain it in this video, along with other great &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_vibebp_attr":"","_vibebp_dimensions":"","_vibebp_responsive_height":"","_vibebp_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[425,349,484],"tags":[576,577,578],"class_list":["post-5282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spanish-expressions","category-hispanic-culture","category-trocitos-de-real-spanish-en","tag-espanol-coloquial-en-2","tag-expresiones-interesantes-en","tag-lecciones-espanol-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5282"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11476,"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5282\/revisions\/11476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realspanish.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}