Being able to accept or decline an invitation in Spanish is a key skill that all students should learn. If you want to know more about this topic, you will find useful tips in the blog of our Spanish school El Rincón del Tándem. Enjoy your reading 😉
In our previous blog, we have provided some tips on how to suggest plans in Spanish. Today, we continue exploring this topic, listing some useful phrases to accept or decline an invitation.
Besides, you will also find some phrases you can use to make an appointment with your friends. Specifically, questions about time and place of the meeting.
So, let’s go there!
To decline an invitation in Spanish politely, you can use one of the following phrases:
- Lo siento, pero ya tengo un compromiso – I am sorry, but I have already made plans
- Me gustaría, pero no puedo – I’d love, but I can’t
- Desafortunadamente no puedo – Unfortunately, I can’t
Expressions like “lo siento” or “desafortunadamente” make you sounds polite when turning down an invitation or suggestion for plans.
If you do not feel like going somewhere or doing something, you may say:
Gracias pero no me apetece – Thanks, but I do not feel like (doing something or going somewhere)
If you want to explain the reason of your refusal, you can answer as follows:
- No puedo. Tengo que + infinitive – I can’t. I have to + infinitive
- Lo siento pero no tengo tiempo para eso – I am sorry, but I don’t have time for that
In case you do not like the plan so much, but you still want to arrange something with your friend, you can propose an alternative plan.
Therefore, you can express your preference, using the following phrases:
- Yo prefiero + Infinitivo – I prefer to do
- Me gustaría + infinitivo – I would like to do
- Qué buena idea, pero… – It’s a good idea, but I would rather doing
If you like a lot your friends’ idea and you feel enthusiastic about the invitation, you can say:
- Si, me gustaría mucho – Yes! I would love to
- !Perfecto! – Perfect!
- !De acuerdo! !Fantástico! !Fenomenal! !Genial! – Great! Fantastic!
- !Con mucho gusto! – With pleasure
- Es una buena idea / Es una idea fantástica – It’s a great idea
- Me parece bien/estupendo/fenomenal –That is very good/ That is fantastic
Finally, if you need to know where and when to meet your friends, you should ask:
- ¿Dónde quedamos? – Where do we meet?
- ¿A qué hora quedamos? – At what time do we meet?
- ¿Podemos quedar sobre las …? – Could we meet around….?
- Prefiero quedar antes o después – I would prefer to meet a bit earlier or later…
So, ready to make plans with your friends? We hope our posts provided you with useful information to make plans, accepting or declining an invitation.
Also, remember to do it in the most suitable way, using expression for speaking polite Spanish 😉
And if you want to start learning Spanish or improve your level, our Spanish school El Rincón del Tándem would be happy to help you with its cheap Spanish courses in Valencia.
See you soon!
