Hi Junkies,
How do you say no in Hebrew? Lo. That’s pretty much all you need to know. But, no. That’s not enough for you is it?
Well, since you’re a smart Hebrew learner, I’ll give you more. In this quick guide, you get 13 ways and variations for saying no in Hebrew. So you can have more things to say in Hebrew and get closer to fluency.
How to say No in Hebrew
Now, as you read these, be sure to listen to this free audio lesson too. Why? You get to hear REAL pronunciation. And if you repeat out loud, you’re practicing speaking. So, press the play button below.
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1. No
- לא
- Pronounced: lo
This is the easiest way to say no in Hebrew. You can say “לא” in both, formal and informal situations.
Example:
- לא, אני לא יכול לעשות את זה
- Lo, ani lo yah’ol laasot et ze
- No, I can’t do it
2. In no way
- בשום אופן לא!
- Pronounced: besum ofen lo!
Here, we have a formal way to say “No” in Hebrew. But, you can still use it in informal situations. You can use it when you want to emphasize that you are really against something or that a statement is not true at all.
Example:
- הוא בשום אופן לא משקר לך!
- Hu beshum ofen lo meshaker leh’a!
- He’s in no way lying to you!
3. No way / There’s no way #1
- אין סיכוי
- Pronounced: ein sikuy
This is a slang way of saying “No way” in Hebrew. It can be literally translated as “there is no chance”.
Example:
- אין סיכוי שאני אכנס לבריכה הזאת
- Ein sikuy sheani ekanes lebreh’a hazot
- There’s no way I’m getting into that pool!
4. No way #2
- אין מצב
- Pronounced: Ein matzav
Here’s a second way of saying “No way” in Hebrew. You can’t use this phrase in formal occasions. Use it when you are with your friends and family members.
Example:
- אין מצב שהוא ינצח בתחרות
- Ein matzav shehu yenatzeah’ batah’arut
- No way he can win the competition
5. Out of the question
- לא בא בחשבון
- Pronounced: lo ba beh’eshbon
In Hebrew you can say “לא בא בחשבון” whenever you want to make it clear that you are really against something.
Example:
- אני מניח שהאפשרות הזאת היא לא באה בחשבון
- Ani mebin shehaefsharut hazot hi lo baa beh’eshbon
- I assume that this option is out of the question
6. It can not be
- לא יתכן
- Pronounced: lo yitah’en
You can use this phrase in both formal and informal situations. You can say it after you hear something that sounds unbelievable to you. “No! It can’t be!”
Example:
- לא יתכן שזה צירוף מקרים
- Lo yitah’en sheze tziruf mikrim
- It can’t be a coincidence
7. Never #1
- בחיים לא
- Pronounced: bah’ayim lo
How do you say never in Hebrew?
We have two completely interchangeable ways to say never in Hebrew. Say this word combinations when you want to emphasize that you will never ever do something in your life.
Example:
- אני בחיים לא אדבר איתך שוב
- Ani bah’ayim lo edaber it’h’a shuv
- I will never speak to you agin
8. Never #2
- לעולם לא
- Pronounced: leolam lo
This is the second way. There’s no difference in meaning between the first never and this one.
Example:
- אנחנו לעולם לא נפגוש אותו שוב
- Anah’nu leolam lo nifgosh oto shuv
- We will never meet him again
9. I’m afraid not
- לצערי, לא
- Pronounced: letzaari lo
If you want to say “no” politely, you can say “לצערי, לא”. That way, your refusal sounds less rude and less direct.
Example:
- – האם יש בספריה את הספר הזה? – לצערי, לא.
- – Haim yesh basifriya et hasefer haza? – Letzaari, lo
- Do you have this book in the library? – Unfortunately, no
10. Unfortunately, no
- למרבה הצער, לא
- Pronounced: Lemarbe hatzaar, lo
Use it when you want to show that you are really sorry that you can’t help.
This is one of the more polite ways to say no in Hebrew.
Example:
- – האם אתה יכול לעזור לי, בבקשה? – למרבה הצער, לא
- – Haim ata yah’ol laazor li bevakasha? – lemarbe hatzaar, lo?
- Could you help me, please? – Unfortunately, no
11. Under no circumstances
- בשום פנים ואופן לא
- Pronounced: beshum panim veofen lo
This is a very clear refusal to do something. You should use this when you want to emphasize that you really don’t want to do something or completely disagree with something.
Example:
- אני בשום פנים ואופן לא מוכן לעשות קפיצת באנג’י!
- Ani beshum panim veofen lo muh’an laasot kfitzat banji!
- I will under no circumstances go bungee jumping!
12. Probably not
- כנראה שלא
- Pronounced: kanir’e shelo
When you say “כנראה שלא” it means that you are not 100% sure that what you say is true. So, using this expression will help you to express your uncertainty.
Example:
- כנראה שלא נוכל לבוא היום
- Kanir’e shelo nuh’al labo hayom
- We probably won’t be able to come today
13. I don’t think so
- לא נראה לי
- Pronounced: lo nir’e li
Here we have another phrase that has some shades of uncertainty. However saying this means that you are more sure than unsure about something.
Example:
- לא נראה לי שהבנתי מה רצית להגיד לי
- Lo nir’e li shehevanti ma ratzita lehagid li
- I do not think I understood what you wanted to tell me
Now you know all the fun ways to say no in Hebrew. But, if you want to say yes in Hebrew, then check out this article:
If you want to learn Hebrew with some actual resources, then check these out.
- Top 10 Hebrew Textbooks & Books for Beginners
- How to Learn Hebrew in 5 Minutes a Day (STUDY TOOLS inside)
- Top 10 Hebrew Language Software for PC, Mac: Reviews
– The Main Junkie
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