How to Say "refuses" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “refuses” is “niega” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Mi hermano niega haber roto el jarrón.
My brother denies having broken the vase.
El banco niega el préstamo sin más documentos.
The bank refuses the loan without more documents.
Si te acusan, ¡niega la verdad inmediatamente!
If they accuse you, deny the truth immediately!
Dual Function of 'Niega'
'Niega' has two main jobs: it can mean 'He/She/It denies' (present tense) or it can be the 'tú' command form, meaning 'Deny!'
The E-to-IE Stem Change
The base verb 'negar' has a vowel change in the present tense. The 'e' in the middle changes to 'ie' in most forms, which is why we say 'nIEga' instead of 'nega'.
Forgetting the Stem Change
Mistake: “Él nega la verdad.”
Correction: Él niega la verdad. (Remember the 'e' changes to 'ie' in the present tense for this verb.)
Using 'Niega' for 'We'
Mistake: “Nosotros niegamos.”
Correction: Nosotros negamos. (The 'nosotros' and 'vosotros' forms do NOT have the stem change.)
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