879 - Sunday Speak - Polite Ways to Say No

Update: 2025-09-14

Description

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Sunday Speak. Every Sunday, I’ll be here with a quick one-point tip to help you speak English more naturally. Now, sometimes in English we need to say “no,” but just saying no can sound too direct or even a little rude. So let’s look at some casual, yet polite, natural ways to say no.

If someone invites you to do something and you don’t want to, you can say:

“I’ll pass.” Like, Want to come out for karaoke tonight? → Thanks, I’ll pass.
“Not really my thing.” Like, do you want to go bouldering? → Nah, That’s not really my thing.
And one that I like to use all the time is “It’s not my cup of tea.” Like, Everyone’s watching that new horror movie, but scary films are not my cup of tea.

So, I’ll pass, It’s not really my thing, and It’s not my cult of tea. When you need to refuse or decline something, these all sound softer, more polite, and very natural. So how about you? What’s something that’s Not your cup of tea? Leave a comment below

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