“No Problemo”: 10 Ways to Say ‘No Problem’ in Spanish
How do you say “no problem” in Spanish?
No problemo amigo is how many English speakers say “no problem.” This probably stems from the common misconception that, to speak Spanish, you only have to add an “o” at the end of a word! While this is the case for some words, not all of them follow this rule.
To be clear, no problemo is actually incorrect!
Read on to discover 10 simple ways to say “no problem” in Spanish the right way. Get comfy and prepare to expand your Spanish vocabulary!
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How to Say ‘No Problem’ in Spanish
People say “no problem” in many different situations. Maybe someone bumped into us, the waiter confused our order, or someone who asked us for a favor. In any case, it is great to know how to say no problem in Spanish.
1. No hay problema
Let’s start off easy. Instead of saying “No problemo amigo” practice saying no hay problema, amigo. This is the most literal and simple way to say no problem in Spanish. But why the “hay”? The word hay in Spanish comes from haber which can be translated to “there is” or “there are”. So if you were to translate this literally to English that would be “there is no problem”.
Consider this hypothetical situation. You are walking down the street and it is very crowded. A person bumps into you and apologizes:
-Disculpame por haberte golpeado.
-Ok, no hay problema.
-I am sorry to have hit you.
-Okay, no problem.
2. No hay problema, señor(a).
No problem in Spanish can be used formally too. While saying no hay problema is somehow neutral, and you can use it with your friends, or your boss or your elders, adding one simple word to it can make a difference and turn it completely into a formal expression.
No hay problema señor means no problem, sir. To say no problem in Spanish to a lady you can say No hay problema, señora. To apply this to a girl say no hay problema señorita.
A different situation could be this one. Imagine you are in a building, you are running to catch the elevator, and the doors close with someone inside. Afterward you see that person and they apologize by saying:
-Perdón por no haber detenido el ascensor para usted.
-Seguro, no hay problema, señor.
-I am sorry for not having stopped the elevator for you.
-Sure, No problem, sir.
3. No hay problema, mi amor.
No hay problema, mi amor (No problem, my love) seems like something you would say to your significant other. So don’t be alarmed when literally anyone says no hay problema, mi amor, even if you’ve not ever seen them before!
Latin American culture is warm and friendly, and people may call you mi amor (my love). This also applies to no hay problema, linda (no problem, beautiful).
Picture this: You are in the market looking for some fruit and vegetables. You go to pay, but you’re 50 cents short, so you apologize by saying something like:
-Disculpe señora, me hacen falta 50 centavos.
–Por supuesto, no hay problema, mi amor.
–I am sorry ma’am, I am 50 cents short.
-Of course, no problem, my love.
4. No hay problema, hermano/a
This phrase translates to “No problem, brother (sister)” Use this one with your actual sibling or a friend.
Imagine you’re about to enter a restaurant with a friend. You open the door to go inside, and then do not wait for your friend, letting the door go and almost closing it on his face. The conversation could go like this:
-Perdón por no haber sostenido la puerta, no me di cuenta de que estabas detrás de mí.
–Sí, no hay problema, hermano.
-I am sorry for not having held the door for you, I did not notice that you were behind me.
-Yeah, no problem, brother.
5. De nada
Sometimes, we use the expression “no problem” in Spanish to mean “you’re welcome.”
Just say: de nada. This is the most common way of replying after anyone says ¡gracias! (thank you). The literal translation of de nada is “for nothing.”
Picture this situation. You just bought a new cell phone, the salesperson thanks you.
-Gracias por tu compra.
-De nada.
-Thanks for your purchase.
-You’re welcome.
6. Cuando quieras
Another way of replying to a person who is thanking you is by saying “anytime.” Cuando quieras means “whenever you want.”
Keep in mind that, for this expression, you will have to tweak the verb a bit, depending on who you’re talking to. Cuando quieras is informal, so it is perfect to use it with a person who is the same age or younger than you. To speak to a person who is older or to an authority figure, say cuando (usted) quiera.
Imagine the following situation: You found a person in the road with a flat tire, so decided to stop your car to help them out.
-Muchas gracias por haberme ayudado a cambiar la llanta, no sé qué habría hecho sin su ayuda.
-De nada, ¡cuando quiera!
-Thank you very much for having helped me to change the tire, I do not know what I would have done without your help.
-You’re welcome, anytime!
PRO TIP! Why are we using quieras and not quieres? Quieras is the subjunctive mood. It applies here because we’re not sure if or when the other person will want (querer) something again.
Learn more: The Ultimate Guide to Subjunctive Conjugation in Spanish
7. Es un placer
How to say “it was my pleasure” in Spanish? Es un placer.
This is a good way to reply to a “thank you.” If the person is thanking you for something you did a while back, just turn the verb into pretérito (simple past) and say fue un placer.
This expression even allows you to skip the verb completely, so to sound a bit more comfortable and confident in your Spanish you can simply reply by saying: un placer.
Check the following situation. A new neighbor moves into the apartment in front of yours. As a good neighbor, you bake a cake and offer it to them as a welcome present.
-Muchas gracias por el pastel, me hace sentir bienvenido(a) en el edificio.
–Fue un placer.
–Thanks a lot for the cake, you make me feel welcome in the building.
-It was a pleasure.
8. No te preocupes
No te preocupes is another fine way to say no problem in Spanish. This one literally translates to “don’t worry.” But in this context (replying to a thank you), “no worries” would fit better.
No te preocupes is the informal conjugation of tú. Now, to speak to someone with vos just add the stress in the last syllable and say no te preocupés. Finally, to use it in a formal way you need to say, No se preocupe.
Imagine that you’re in desperate need of some help with your math homework. Then, you ask for a classmate and they kindly agree to stay after class to explain it to you.
-Muchas gracias por las explicaciones de la clase de matemáticas, fueron muy útiles.
-No te preocupes.
-Thanks a lot for the math class explanations, they were very useful.
-No worries.
PRO TIP! Why are we saying no te preocupes and not no te preocupas? This is because we are using the imperative mood and giving this person a command.
Learn more: Master the Imperative Mood to Express your Spanish Commands
9. No importa
No importa means “(it) doesn’t matter,” but you also use it to say, “It’s okay.”
Remember, it doesn’t matter what you say but how you say it. If you use this phrase with a straight, serious face, you will seem rude. If you use it while smiling, the listener will be happy.
Se hace más con una gota de miel que con un barril de hiel (“You can do more with a drop of honey than with a barrel of gall”), as we say in Spanish.
Imagine that you’ve ordered a deluxe pizza at the restaurant.
-Esta pizza tiene aceitunas. Yo la pedí sin aceitunas.
–Disculpe señor, ya se la cambiamos.
–No importa.
-This pizza has olives. I asked for it without olives.
-I am sorry, sir, we will change it now.
-It does not matter (it is okay).
10. No hay por qué
Our last way of saying “no problem” in Spanish is no hay por qué. It means “there’s no reason to thank me.”
Imagine that you bought a lot of food for the office’s annual Christmas party. The conversation might be like:
-Gracias por toda la comida que compraste; fue muy generoso de tu parte.
–No hay por qué.
-Thank you for all the food that you bought; it was very generous of you.
-That’s okay.
Slang for ‘No Problem’ in Spanish
Now that you have learned 10 great ways to say “no problem” in Spanish, it is time to learn some slang. Check out these ways to say “no problem” in different parts of Latin America:
- No hay clavo – Guatemala
- No tenga(s) pena – Guatemala
- Dale fresco – Guatemala
- Pura vida – Costa Rica
- Todo bien – Colombia
- Vale – Spain
- No hay bronca – México
- Tranquilo(a) – across Latin America
- Dale – across Latin America
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Practice Saying ‘No Problem’ in Spanish
Reading this guide was no problem, right? Now, it is time to practice saying “no problem” in real-life Spanish conversations. Sign up for a free trial class with Homeschool Spanish Academy. We have over 10 years of experience and our friendly, certified teachers from Guatemala are ready to work with you. Don’t let yourself forget what you’ve learned today!
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