13 Ways to say NO in Hebrew... Fluently!

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

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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:

How to Say Yes in Hebrew Fluently – 14+ Words & Phrases

If you want to learn Hebrew with some actual resources, then check these out.

– The Main Junkie

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