How to Say "to refuse" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to refuse” is “rechazar” — use 'rechazar' when declining or turning down an offer, invitation, or proposal..
rechazar
/rreh-chah-SAHR//retʃaˈθaɾ/
Examples
Ella rechazó la oferta de trabajo porque el sueldo era bajo.
She rejected the job offer because the salary was low.
Espero que no rechacen mi solicitud de crédito.
I hope they don't turn down my loan application.
Rechazamos cualquier tipo de violencia.
We reject any type of violence.
The Z to C Swap
When you have a verb ending in -zar, the 'z' changes to a 'c' whenever it's followed by an 'e'. This happens in the 'yo' form of the past tense (rechacé) and all forms of the special 'wish' verb form (subjunctive).
Rechazar vs. Negar
Mistake: “Using 'negar' to decline an invitation.”
Correction: Use 'rechazar'. 'Negar' means to claim something is not true (to deny), while 'rechazar' is to say no to something offered.
rehusar
/ray-oo-SAR//reuˈsaɾ/
Examples
Ella rehusó la invitación porque tenía mucho trabajo.
She declined the invitation because she had a lot of work.
El testigo rehusó contestar a las preguntas del abogado.
The witness refused to answer the lawyer's questions.
No puedes rehusar una oferta tan generosa.
You cannot refuse such a generous offer.
Directly Followed by Action
When you want to say you refuse 'to do' something, put the other verb right after 'rehusar' without any connecting words like 'a' or 'de'.
The Accent Mark Pattern
Even though it is a regular verb, it gets an accent mark on the 'ú' in many present-tense forms (like 'rehúso') to keep the sound of the 'u' clear and separate from the 'e'.
Rehusar vs. Reusar
Mistake: “Using 'reusar' to mean 'to refuse'.”
Correction: Use 'rehusar' (with an 'h') to refuse something. Use 'reusar' (without an 'h') to mean 'to reuse' something, like a plastic bottle.
denegar
/deh-neh-GAR//deneˈɣaɾ/
Examples
El banco decidió denegar mi solicitud de préstamo.
The bank decided to deny my loan application.
Le denegaron el visado porque le faltaba un documento.
They refused his visa because he was missing a document.
Si el juez deniega la petición, tendremos que apelar.
If the judge denies the petition, we will have to appeal.
The Boot Change
This verb has a stem change where the 'e' becomes 'ie' in most forms, except for 'nosotros' and 'vosotros'. It's called a 'boot verb' because if you circle the changed forms on a grid, they look like a boot!
Spelling Shift
In the 'yo' form of the past (preterite), the 'g' changes to 'gu' (denegué) to keep the hard 'g' sound before the letter 'e'.
Negar vs. Denegar
Mistake: “Negar una solicitud.”
Correction: Denegar una solicitud.
Rechazar vs. Rehusar
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.