"no" in seven languages
Meaningno
Spanish
no
/no/
inherited
French
non
/nɔ̃/
inherited
Italian
no
/nɔ/
inherited
Portuguese
não
/nɐ̃w/
inherited
Romanian
nu
/nu/
inherited
Catalan
no
/no/
inherited
English
no
/noʊ/
Indo-European kin · PIE *ne
English → ItaliannonoDistant cognateRelated only through Indo-European, thousands of years back (night ~ noche).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
NŌN‘not’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish no is both the answer and the negation (no sé). French splits non (the answer) from ne … pas, and Italian splits no (the answer) from non (non so).
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In a sentence
- esNo, gracias.
- frNon, merci.
- itNo, grazie.
- ptNão, obrigado.
- roNu, mulțumesc.
- caNo, gràcies.
- enNo, thanks.
More in Greetings & courtesy
- excuse medisculpeexcusez-moiscusicom licençascuzațiperdoni
- I'm sorrylo sientodésolémi dispiacedesculpaîmi pare răuho sento
- how are you?¿cómo estás?comment ça va ?come stai?tudo bem?ce mai faci?com estàs?
- fine, thanksbien, graciasbien, mercibene, graziebem, obrigadobine, mulțumescbé, gràcies
- good afternoonbuenas tardesbon après-midibuon pomeriggioboa tardebună ziuabona tarda
- good eveningbuenas nochesbonsoirbuonaseraboa noitebună searabon vespre