Saying “no” in French is simple, the basic word is non, which is pronounced as /noh(n)/.

But French has many ways to refuse, contradict, softly deny, or strengthen a negative (formal, casual, emphatic, polite, etc.). 

Below are the most common ways to say no with short explanations, and examples.

Ways to Say No in French

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example (French → English)
non	/noh(n)/	no — standard, neutral	Tu veux du café ? Non, merci. → Want coffee? No, thanks.
non merci	/noh(n) mehr-see/	polite refusal	Non merci, je n’ai plus faim. → No thanks, I’m not hungry.
pas du tout	/pah doo too/	not at all — strong negation	Tu veux y aller ? Pas du tout. → Do you want to go? Not at all.
absolument pas	/ab-so-lu-mahn pah/	absolutely not — emphatic	Absolument pas je ne peux pas. → Absolutely not I can’t.
bien sûr que non	/byehn sewr kuh noh(n)/	of course not — emphatic reply	Il viendra ? Bien sûr que non. →   Will he come? Of course not.
nan / non (colloquial)	/nahn/ or /noh(n)/	nope/nah — informal	Nan, j’ai pas envie. → Nah, I don’t feel like it.
bah non	/bah noh(n)/	“well no” — casual, slightly surprised/disapproving	Il a fini ? Bah non. → Is it finished? Well no.
ni… ni…	/nee… nee…/	neither… nor…	Je n’aime ni le thé ni le café. → I like neither tea nor coffee.
personne / rien (neg pronouns)	/pehr-sohn/ , /ree-eh(n)/	nobody / nothing (used with ne)	Je ne vois personne. / Il ne dit rien. → I see nobody. / He says nothing.

Polite Refusals in French

• Je suis désolé(e), mais non. — I’m sorry, but no.
• Je préfère pas. — I’d rather not. (informal)
• Ce n’est pas possible. — That’s not possible.
• Merci, mais non. — Thanks, but no.
• Pas maintenant. — Not right now.

Short grammar & Important notes

• Basic “no”: use non for a neutral refusal.
• Non merci (No, thank you) is the standard polite way to decline.
• Pas du tout (not at all), absolument pas (absolutely not), bien sûr que non (of course not) add strength while saying no — use these when you need to be clear.
• Colloquial: nan (or spelled non) and bah non are common in speech and texting — avoid using these in formal contexts.
• Double negatives in French: French commonly uses ne…pas (Je ne veux pas), ne…jamais (never), ne…personne (no one), ne…rien (nothing). In spoken French, ne is often dropped: Example, Je veux pas.
• Contradicting a negative: to answer “yes” when someone makes a negative statement, French uses si. Example: — Tu n’aimes pas ça ? — Si.
• Combining negatives: ni… ni… = neither… nor… (example: Il n’a ni temps ni argent.).

Examples of saying ‘no’ in French

1. Tu veux venir ce soir ? — Non merci, j’ai du travail.
   → Do you want to come tonight? — No thanks, I have work.
2. Il a fini son devoir ? — Pas du tout.
   → Has he finished his homework? — Not at all.
3. Tu aimes les champignons ? — Non, je n’en veux pas.
   → Do you like mushrooms? — No, I don’t want any.
4. Il va accepter ? — Bien sûr que non.
   → Will he accept? — Of course not.
5. Use ni…ni: Je n’aime ni la pluie ni le froid.
   → I like neither rain nor cold.