How To Say No In Arabic

The most straightforward and universally understood way to say “no” in Arabic is:

لَا

lā

It sounds like: laa (stretch the ‘a’ sound a little).

This word, lā, is “no” in any situation.

It works in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the formal Arabic you’ll see in news and books, and it’s also understood in all the different Arabic dialects (like Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, etc.).

Dialect variation: laʾ (لأ)

In many spoken dialects, you’ll often hear a slightly different version of lā.

It sounds more like laʾ – with an abrupt stop at the end (this is called a glottal stop).

Egyptian Arabic: Often laʾ (لأ) or even laʾa (after the glottal stop, the ‘a’ continues slightly).
Levantine Arabic (e.g., Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian): laʾ (لأ) is common.
Gulf Arabic (e.g., Saudi, Emirati, Kuwaiti): You’ll hear lā and sometimes laʾ.

If you say lā, everyone will understand you perfectly.

The laʾ is just something you’ll notice native speakers doing.

Making it polite

Just like English, adding a “thank you” makes your “no” sound a bit softer and more polite.

To say “No, thank you” in Arabic, you combine lā with the word for “thank you,” which is shukran (شُكْرًا).

لَا، شُكْرًا

lā, shukran

No, thank you

This is really useful when someone offers you something – a cup of tea, some food, or help – and you want to decline politely.

Negating verbs: saying something “is not” or “did not” happen

lā can be used to negate verbs.

This is where it gets a tiny bit more grammatical, but the basics are pretty straightforward.

In MSA:

1. To say something is not happening (present tense): Use lā (لَا) before the verb.

لَا يَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَة.

lā yadhhabu ila al-madrasa.

He does not go to school.

(He not goes to the school.)

2. To say something did not happen (past tense): Use lam (لَمْ) before the present tense form of the verb (it changes the meaning to past negative).

لَمْ يَكْتُبِ الْوَاجِب.

lam yaktub al-wājib.

He did not write the homework.

(He not write (in the past) the homework.)

3. To say something will not happen (future tense): Use lan (لَنْ) before the present tense form of the verb (it changes the meaning to future negative).

لَنْ يُسَافِرَ غَدًا.

lan yusāfira ghadan.

He will not travel tomorrow.

(He not travel (in the future) tomorrow.)

4. Negating “to be” (for nouns and adjectives): When you want to say something “is not [a noun]” or “is not [an adjective],” MSA uses a special verb laysa (لَيْسَ). It changes depending on who you’re talking about.

Form	Arabic	Meaning
lastu	لَسْتُ	I am not
lasta	لَسْتَ	You (m.) are not
lasti	لَسْتِ	You (f.) are not
laysa	لَيْسَ	He is not
laysat	لَيْسَتْ	She is not
lasnā	لَسْنَا	We are not
lastum	لَسْتُمْ	You (pl. m.) are not
lastunna	لَسْتُنَّ	You (pl. f.) are not
laysū	لَيْسُوا	They (pl. m.) are not
lasna	لَسْنَ	They (pl. f.) are not

أَنْتَ لَسْتَ جَاهِزًا.

ʾanta lasta jāhizan.

You (male) are not ready.

هَذَا لَيْسَ بَيْتًا.

hādhā laysa baytan.

This is not a house.

In spoken dialects, negation rules are much simpler.

For example, in Egyptian, mish (مش) is often used to negate all sorts of things (verbs, nouns, adjectives).

In dialecs like Levantine, mā (ما) is very common for negating verbs, and mū (مو) or mish (مش) can be used for “is not.”

Other ways to express “no” or refusal

Mustaḥīl (مُسْتَحِيل): This means “impossible”.

It’s a strong way to say no to an unreasonable request.

هَل يُمْكِنُكَ إِنْهَاءُ هَذَا فِي سَاعَة؟

hal yumkinuka ʾinhāʾ hādhā fī sāʿa?

Can you finish this in an hour?

مُسْتَحِيل!

mustaḥīl!

Impossible!

Kallā (كَلَّا): This is a very firm and formal “No!” or “Absolutely not!” found mostly in Classical Arabic (like in the Quran) or very formal speeches. You won’t use it much in daily chats.

Mish mumkin (مش ممكن) meaning “not possible” or fil mishmish (فِي الْمِشْمِش): Literally “in the apricots” (meaning, when apricots are in season, which is a very short time). It’s a funny, informal way to say “not in a million years,” or “when pigs fly.”

ممكن تسلفني عربيتك الجديدة؟

mumkin tisallifinī ʿarabīytak ig-gidīda?

Will you lend me your new car?

فِي الْمِشْمِش!

fil mishmish!

Yeah, when pigs fly! (In the apricot season!)

Levantine Dialect: Mā baʿrif (ما بعرف): “I don’t know.” While not a direct “no,” it can be used to deflect a question or request you don’t want to answer directly.

مين أخد آخر كعكة؟

mīn akhad ākhir kaʿka?

Who took the last cookie?

ما بعرف.

mā baʿrif.

I don't know.

Key takeaways for saying “no”

Your main, all-purpose “no” is lā (لَا).
In dialects, you’ll often hear it as laʾ (لأ) or laʾa.
Be polite by adding shukran (شُكْرًا) to make it “No, thank you.”
Negating verbs and sentences has specific rules in MSA (using lā, lam, lan, laysa), while dialects often simplify this with particles like mish or mā.