| Hi everybody! Welcome back to Top Words. My name is Alisha and today, we're going to talk about 10 ways to reject an invitation. So hopefully, these are 10 ways to make your rejection a little bit softer, a little more polite. So, let's go! |
| 1. Sorry, I already have plans. |
| The first phrase is, "Sorry I already have plans." "Sorry, I already have plans!" Sorry I already have plans is nice because it's very vague. I have plans so there's something else I'm planning to do. I already..., so before this conversation, I made different plans and sorry, so I apologize, but sorry, I already have plans. This is a very useful phrase, very vague, kind of open. |
| So, in a sentence… |
| "Thanks for the dinner invite, but sorry, I already have plans." |
| 2. I can't go, I have to… |
| The next phrase is I can't go, I have to blah, blah, blah. So I can't go or I can't do the activity you suggested. |
| "I can't go, I have to study." |
| "I can't go, I have to work." |
| "I can't go, I have to have dinner with my family." |
| "I can't go, I have to have a meeting." |
| "I can't go, I have to wash my dog." |
| So, I can't go, I have this other thing I'm responsible for, I have to do something else. |
| So, in another sentence… |
| "I can't go, I have to work late." |
| 3. I'm staying home tonight. |
| The third expression is, "I'm staying home tonight," I'm staying home tonight. So, if someone invites you to an activity outside the house, just a nice way to say no is… |
| "Sorry, I'm staying home tonight." |
| I want to stay in my house. I'm staying in tonight is another way to say that. So, I'm not going out and I don't have plans to go out anywhere. I'm staying home tonight. |
| In a sentence... |
| "Thanks for inviting me, but I'm staying home tonight." |
| 4. Thanks, but I'm gonna sit this one out. |
| The next expression is "Thanks, but I'm gonna sit this one out." So, sit this one out, we use this for sports, actually. To sit something out, to sit this one means this time, this activity. Thanks but I'm gonna sit this one out means to sit out means to not participate. So in sports, to sit out means the other people on your team are participating in the game, but you are sitting out of the game, you're on the bench, you are waiting, or you are not participating. |
| So, the idea is the same for an activity. I'm gonna sit this one out, so this time, I'm not going to participate. |
| In a sentence… |
| "Thanks, but I've been working a lot lately. I think I'm gonna sit this one out. |
| 5. I'm out. |
| The next expression is "I'm out, I'm out. So, very, very casual, use this with people you are close to. It just means I'm not participating. I am out of this activity. I am not in this activity, I'm out. So, you can't go, you don't want to go, or just whatever. You are comfortable enough with the other people, you can say a very short and casual rejection. Just say, I'm out. |
| In a sentence… |
| "I've already spent too much money this month. I'm out. |
| Or |
| "Sorry, I can't join you guys tonight. I have lots of work to do. I'm out. |
| Or |
| "Nope, I'm tired. I'm out. |
| That one was very, very casual. |
| 6. Apologies, but I'll be unable to attend. |
| The next expression is, "Apologies, but I will be unable to attend. Apologies but I'll be unable to attend. This, you might see more in written correspondence like in an email or in a letter, perhaps. So, apologies is more formal than sorry and "...but I will be unable to attend means in the future, it is not going to be possible for me to participate, I will be unable to attend. So, you can use this to reject like a reception, a formal event, a business meeting perhaps, something you are unable to attend. It's not possible for you to attend, this is a nice way to reject the invitation. |
| In a sentence… |
| "Apologies, but I will be unable to attend the seminar. |
| 7. I'm terribly sorry, but I have another appointment. |
| Okay, next one… the next expression is, "I'm terribly sorry, but I have another appointment. I'm terribly sorry but I have another appointment. So, I'm terribly sorry is I'm very sorry but terribly sounds more formal than very, "I'm terribly sorry, but I have another appointment. So, you can use this at work. You can use this for business meetings, for...maybe, trying to meet like a client if you want, kind of more formal situations. "I'm terribly sorry, but I have another appointment. So, you want to meet someone, I'm terribly sorry, but I cannot, I have another appointment. There's something else and using the word "appointment makes it sound like it's kind of a more formal situation. It makes it sound like you have something else work related you need to do or some other responsibility to take care of. I have another appointment. |
| In a sentence… |
| "I'm terribly sorry, but I have another appointment at that time. |
| 8. Unfortunately, I have to… |
| The next expression is, unfortunately I have to blah, blah, blah, unfortunately I have to blah, blah, blah. You can use this in casual situations and in formal situations. I would use this more in formal situations because the word "unfortunately sounds a bit more formal. In casual situations, I would just say, "Sorry, I have to… as we talked about earlier. But, in more formal situations, you can say, unfortunately, I have to blah, blah, blah. |
| So "Unfortunately, I have to go to a meeting at that time. |
| Or |
| "Unfortunately, I will be away on business. |
| Or |
| Unfortunately, I have to arrange a Skype meeting for a different time or something, I don't know. |
| So, unfortunately expresses your apology, your… your… I'm sorry feeling. |
| In another sentence… |
| "Unfortunately, I have to attend the meeting. |
| 9. Thanks, but I'm really tired. |
| The next expression is, "Thanks, but I'm really tired, thanks but I'm really tired. So this is good if you get a spontaneous, so spontaneous just means no plan, a very quick, sudden invitation like your friend sends you a message like, "Hey, let's get dinner tonight or "Hey, do you wanna get a drink? You can say, "Thanks, but I'm really tired. So, thank you for the invitation, but I'm really tired. So maybe after work like, "Let's get a drink after work. "Ah, thanks, but I'm really tired. Or, "Let's go to the beach. "Ah, thanks, but I'm really tired. I wanna stay home today. Or, "Let's go hiking. "Thanks, but I'm really tired. |
| So, some spontaneous, sudden, quick invitation, you can say thanks, but I'm really tired, to respond. |
| Okay, in a sentence… |
| "Sounds fun, thanks! But I'm really tired. |
| 10. I'd love to, but I'm … |
| The next expression is, "I'd love to, but I'm blah, blah, blah I-N-G. |
| "I'd love to, but I'm working. |
| "I'd love to, but I'm studying. |
| "I'd love to, but I'm baking a cake. |
| "I'd love to, but I'm getting my haircut. |
| So we use this I-N-G form for some activity we are planning to do. |
| "I'd love to, but I'm going swimming. |
| Or "I'd love to, but I'm hiking on that day. |
| So using the progressive form of the verb related to the activity, shows that your plan has been decided already. So, try to use the progressive form of the verb here in this expression. |
| In a sentence… |
| "I'd love to, but I'm leaving town that day." |
| So, those are 10 ways to reject an invitation. I hope that those are useful for you and these are kind of some more polite ways to say no. If you have any questions or comments, please be sure to let us know in the comment section below this video. Thanks very much for watching this episode and we'll see you again soon. Bye! |
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