To think that 'No' is NOT a complete sentence?

[HisFluffyPinkSlippers]

I read on various places, that 'no is a complete sentence'.

For example, such-and-such has invited me somewhere that I don't want to go, how do I say no?

And then there will be a bunch of replies to say 'no is a complete sentence'. Which is fine, if you are actively trying to break up a friendship/relationship, but don't then complain about how few friends you have.

Basically it's bad advice in many cases, in my opinion.

It should be normalised not having to lie to people in your life. No should be enough instead of having to come up with some excuse that everyone knows is just that.

In the real world going round just saying no is weird and people who do that clearly have bad interpersonal skills 🤣

I agree.

A blunt no would put me off inviting anyone out again.

YANBU, it's terrible advice but so is a lot of advice on here.

An invitation is indeed not a summons, but not going to a close family wedding because you can't be bothered is likely to have consequences far beyond the wedding day.

Asking someone if they meant to be so rude is only inviting the response that yes, they did.

Remember, an invitation is a request, not a summons .

If the answer is no, ' No , thank you' is a perfectly acceptable response

If I asked a friend out to coffee and they simply said “no” I would most certainly never ask them again!

There's a middle ground between a blunt 'No' and outright lying though.

If you receive an invite you don't want to accept then 'Thank you but I've already got loads on at the moment so I won't be able to make it' or 'Thanks but I really need a bit of downtime at home over the weekend' or 'Oh I would [join you at the cinema] but I don't fancy that film' or whatever else the truth happens to be is fine.

I agree

In real life you don't just say "no" or even "no thanks" if someone suggests something you don't want to do

However it's probably okay to say "sorry we can't make it" type thing

As a saying it's not that helpful to take it literally. I do think the notion that you're not obliged to say yes to anything is a useful one, though. I also have no issue with fibs to make a refusal more palatable.

I think there’s a balance to be struck between a blunt “No” and feeling the need to come up with an explanation that you think other people will find acceptable.

A simple “Oh, thank you but I wont be able to make that/don’t have time right now/can’t contribute at the moment” etc should be fine without having to add all kinds of excuses or explanations (“because I’ve got other plans/am already on three committees/have had a really expensive month” or consolation prizes (“but let’s book in for next month/once I’m off the PTA I can help/ask me again in March”).

I voted YANBU just on the basis of grammar 😂

Saying no is rude.

No, that doesn't work for me, unfortunately is better.

It's obviously not appropriate if being invited somewhere, a polite excuse costs nothing, but sometimes no is a complete sentence. When dealing with children for example, or like the other day when a colleague asked me to do something after they'd been slacking off all day and I'd been working my arse off so I just said no and walked away 🤷

Perhaps no thank you rather than a blunt no, unless you want to come across passive aggressive I agree

It’s just something people say because they think it sounds clever. IRL virtually no one uses No in this way. Because they sound socially inept

I think its helpful to have this phrase in mind when people don't accept your polite version of no
when you sugar coat the 'no' in some way and they come back with
oh but (something or other), then I think its OK to say
actually, no

'No thank you'. Is a fine thing to say, but it depends what's being offered or asked. A lot of people might expect you to say why.
For example if it's a film you invite someone to see. You might want to know if they're busy, tired or just actively don't want to see that film.
So I would usually say the reason why. Even if it's just 'I don't fancy doing anything today'

Yes and no. I think the point is you do not have to always explain yourself.I agree replying No to an invite is short and blunt. However, saying I am afraid/sorry I can not make your kind invite is saying the same thing.

You are not making an excuse or explaining yourself in either, but one is more polite than the other.

Yes. (Or should I say no!) :-)

@CheeseWisely But that's lying though...? I certainly would never say an outright 'no' and nothing else! But I wouldn't fabricate a lie either. I'd say 'no thanks, maybe another time?'

I think the point of it is not meant to be fully literal it is a way to ensure you can enforce your boundaries it’s a saying to explain that you don’t and shouldn’t have to tie yourself in knots finding ways to say no and coming up with excuses as to why you are saying no.

that you can politely decline a request from someone without a particular reason and if pushed it’s ok not to have one and that a polite no is good enough. That people who push will always find reasons to pick holes in the information you give and put pressure on it so actually it’s better not to think up reasons for a pushy person to question and argue with that put you in a position of folding anyway.

I've always thought this saying just means that you don't always have to justify why you are saying no to something. It doesn't mean that it is okay to be blunt or rude, just that sometimes "no thanks" is enough of an answer.

I’ve always thought people don’t mean it literally- they’re not actually suggesting someone just says no, only that you’re allowed to say no without feeling you have to have a good justification.

At least I hope that’s what people mean 😂

I think it's an expression that needs to be borne in mind when dealing with certain types of people. Generally the sort of people who won't take no for an answer.

It depends on the context. No is not a complete sentence in response to a social invitation, but it might end up being a complete sentence to someone who keeps asking you to do something and won't stop.