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How to Say ‘No, sorry’ in French

Non, désolée

noh day-zo-LAY

[noh day-zo-LAY]

💬 Usage Tip: The extra e in désolée shows that a woman is speaking. A man would write désolé, and both are pronounced the same.

Phrase Breakdown

Non

[noh]

Used to give a negative response.

Example

Non, je ne veux pas.

No, I don't want to.

désolée

[day-zo-LAY]

sorry

Feminine form of 'désolé', used when the speaker is a woman.

Example

Je suis désolée pour le retard.

I'm sorry for the delay.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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