Saying No in French

Choose how you say no in French with care because the differences between expressions are nuanced. Here's how to say the equivalents of "no," "not a chance," "I don't think so," "down with," and more.

The Many Faces of Non in French

non > no
This is the basic, standard French word for "no."

Non, je n'aime pas skier. > No, I don't like to ski.

ah non / oh non > oh no
Ah non and oh non express disappointment, as in "oh no!" or "darn it!"

Ah non! Ça ne marche pas! > Oh no! It doesn't work!

non à… > no to...
Non à is followed by a noun to mean "(say) no to" or "down with," especially in protests and demonstrations:

Non au CPE! > No to the First Job Contract!

Other Synonyms for Non 

•  absolument pas > absolutely not
•  au contraire > on the contrary
•  aucun (problème, argent, etc.) > no (problem, money, etc)
•  bien sûr que non > of course not
•  certainement pas > certainly not
•  des clous! (familiar) > no way!
•  du tout > not at all

Expressions With Non

•  je crois que non > I don't think so
•  je ne dis pas non > I wouldn't say no
•  mais non > of course not
•  moi non > not me, I don't
•  n'est-ce pas? > no? right? isn't it?
•  niet! (familiar) > no way!
•  non merci - no thank you
•  non et non! > absolutely not!
•  non plus > not (that) either
•  non que + subjunctive > not that …
•  ... ou non? > … (are/will/do you + verb) or not?
•  pas de (problème, temps, pain, etc) > no (problem, time, bread, etc.)
•  pas du tout > not at all
•  pas question! (familiar) > no way! not a chance!
•  pas tout à fait > not exactly, not quite
•  que non! > absolutely not!