For adults, “duh” is fine with casual friends, but it should never be used with any boss, manager, or coworker. In general, saying “duh” is fine informally but is not only rude but unprofessional with formal authorities at school or in the workplace.

‘Of course. ‘ This is such a useful English phrase, but be careful. If you use it wrongly people might think you’re angry or when you’re not, or they might think that you think they’re stupid. ‘Of course’ is a dangerous phrase because it can be polite or it can be rude.

For a lot of people, saying “yes” as a response to a request is too abrupt. It’s not quite rude, but it can come of as being unfriendly. “Does this bus go downtown?” “Yes, it does.” “Could I have one of these brochures?” “Of course!” or even, “Yes, of course!”

In Informal Situations. Respond with “you’re welcome.” This is one of the most obvious and widely used responses to “thank you.” It conveys that you accept their gratitude. Avoid saying “you’re welcome” in a sarcastic tone.

We say thank you when we want to show our appreciation or gratitude for something that somebody else did. We say anytime in response to thank you. Anytime is similar to you’re welcome, no problem, my pleasure, not at all, glad to help, of course, etc.

In “hip-speak” the appropriate response to “thank you” is “yup,” “no problem,” or “no worries.” God-forbid that we should acknowledge the gratitude that someone expresses in some meaningful way? Let’s just brush them off.

1 Answer. Both “OK” and “Thank you” are good answers to conclude that part of the conversation. Their response of “Don’t worry about it” can also be a conclusion to the conversation.

It doesn’t acknowledge the value of an apology. Apologizing for a misstep or wrong doing can be agonizing. For the receiver of an apology to reject it or dismiss the request for forgiveness is impolite. One might think that responding with a casual “no worries,” could assuage the guilt of the person in the wrong.

She explained that “you’re welcome”—a phrase that is meant to be courteous—is sometimes perceived as insincere or snarky. When the phrase is exclaimed in the absence of thanks, as comedians have made popular, it is obviously rude. When used graciously, “you’re welcome” is a perfectly polite form of expression.

Different Ways to Say NO

1. No.
2. Nope.
3. No thanks, I won’t be able to make it.
4. Not this time.
5. No thanks, I have another commitment.
6. Unfortunately, it’s not a good time.
7. Sadly I have something else.
8. Unfortunately not.

Keep it simple and positive. Just say something along the lines of, “I’m so sorry to miss out on the fun, but X isn’t in my budget right now. But I’m so happy for you, and I’d love to celebrate in another way!”

Here are some tips for how to decline a request graciously:

1. Think before you respond. If possible, don’t give your answer immediately.
2. Accentuate the positive.
3. Give a reason when possible—not a fabrication.
4. Be straightforward about the future.
5. Listen to their response.
6. Stand your ground.
7. “No” language examples.

@FelipeAlejandro: That you decline in a repectful way. You don’t mean to offend the person offering.

Newman gave some alternate responses you can use:

1. “Thank you for thinking of me. I would love to be there, but can’t.”
2. “Wish I could, but it is not possible for me to attend.”
3. “I’m already busy that day/evening/weekend.”
4. “Oh, too bad for me. I’m going to miss all the fun!”

Unless you’re involved with the planning, or you’ve already committed to going, you won’t be letting anyone down. It’s fine to decline an invitation if you are unable to attend. The key is to let the person know whether or not you can accept the invitation as soon as possible and in a polite manner.

4 different ways to say no that still make you likeable

1. “Let me think about it.” This is a polite and professional way of asking for more time to consider the request.
2. “The idea sounds great! It’s just that . . . ”
3. “I can’t today. How about [insert new schedule]?”
4. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

So, how do you politely go about turning down friend requests? It’s easy to simply ignore the request and just let the person hang in the back of the “line” in perpetuity. If you delete the request, they can keep coming back — so then you are faced with the decision to block the person or not.