How Do You Say What's the Problem in Spanish
How to say "No Problem" in Spanish without seeming like a Spanish-learning language n00b. (Which we all are, but we like to pretend we're not.)
So, you want to learn how to say "no problem" in Spanish? No problem. Here's how:
OK, it's NOT "No problemo". That phrase is just a catch-phrase from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It's also not "no problema" — that is NOT a phrase in Spanish.
There are quite a few ways of saying "no problem" in Spanish, depending on the context and what country you're in.
Sometimes you say phrases like "no problem" in response to someone thanking you, but you can also say it when someone apologises (e.g. for bumping into you), or someone feeling like they're being bothersome asking you for a favour.
Here are a number of ways of saying "no problem" in Spanish that work in a variety of situations.
No Problem in Spanish — Summary table
Here's a table of all the ways you can say "no problem" in Spanish, along with when you say each one.
There's some overlap here with how you say "you're welcome" in Spanish, because some of the expressions work for both situations.
| Spanish | Literal meaning/how to use |
|---|---|
| No hay problema | There's no problem, say to make someone feel better about a situation, or if someone is thanking you |
| Ningún problema | No problem at all, say when someone is thanking you |
| No pasa nada | Nothing is happening, say when someone is apologising |
| Sin problemas | Without problems, say to explain to someone that something is no trouble at all |
| De nada | "Of nothing", a standard "you're welcome" phrase, used similarly to "no problem" |
| Un placer | "A pleasure", use when someone is being thankful |
| A la orden | "At your orders", a colloquial "you're welcome" used in Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela |
| No hay de que | "There is nothing of which", use to say "you're welcome" to someone expressing thanks |
| No importa | "It doesn't matter", used to say that some problem isn't a problem for you |
| No se preocupe | "Don't worry", used to say someone doesn't need to worry (because you'll take care of something) |
| Tranquilo | Calm, but also "Don't worry" |
There are minor variations to each of these. You might modify each phrase depending on how polite you want to be (i.e. to whom you're speaking), or the exact situation.
Read on for more information.
You might also like these articles on Spanish…
No hay problema
This is the most basic form of "no problem" in Spanish. Note that it's problema.
Despite ending with an "a", problema is a masculine noun in Spanish. That's why to say "the problem is that…" you'd say el problema es que…, and "a big problem" is un gran problema.
Note as well that you have to say hay. You can't omit that and say "no problema" — it'll sound foreign.
Ningún problema
- Gracias por el ayuda!
- Ningún problema amigo!
If you want to sound a bit more colloquial in Spanish, try saying ningún problema.
It has the same meaning of "no problem", but it just is a bit more emphatic.
You can add some flavour to ningún problema by saying No hay ningún problema!
Read next: 8 Ways to Say No in Spanish for Everyday Use
No pasa nada
Literally no pasa nada means "nothing happens".
Use this phrase in response to someone apologising for some situation.
- Mis disculpas, fue sin querer.
- ¡No pasa nada!
This is quite a colloquial expression, but you can also use it in polite situations.
Sin problemas
Sin problemas means "without problems" and is another way of saying "no problem" in Spanish.
You use sin problemas most similarly to ningún problema, indicating that doing something as a favour for someone is no problem at all.
De nada (or Por Nada)
"De nada" means "of nothing", meaning " there is nothing for which you need to thank me".
Saying de nada is one of the first phrases you learn in Spanish. It's a pretty useful do-all way of saying "you're welcome".
- ¡Gracias por la ayuda, señora!
- ¡De nada!
In Latin America (but no in Spain), you can also say por nada. But don't use this phrase in Spain, where it can seem rude.
Un placer
This means "a pleasure".
Use un placer in response to someone thanking you for something. It's saying "It was my pleasure!"
You can also say fue un placer or es un placer for slight variants on the theme.
A la orden
This literally means "At your order!" but it doesn't mean that in practice.
This is regional and used more in Central America, e.g. in Colombia (see our list of Colombian Spanish slang).
It is used exactly the same way as "de nada" is used in Spain — when someone says "thanks", you respond with A la orden!
No hay de que
Sometimes we say "no problem" when someone thanks us; well, in this case, no hay de que is a great way of saying "no problem" in Spanish.
The phrase no hay de que is much like de nada — it means "there is nothing of which". And it means "there is nothing for for which you need to thank me".
No importa
No importa means "it doesn't matter", but sometimes feels like "no problem" in English.
This has a slightly different meaning; it really means "it doesn't matter to me". For example if there are no tickets left in the seated area of the train, no importa you'll buy a standing-room-only ticket.
No se preocupe/No te preocupes
This phrase means "don't worry", but is used in Spanish similarly to how "no problem" is sometimes used in English.
You would use this if someone is apologetic about having done something wrong, or explaining an unfortunate situation.
- Mis disculpas señor pero no queda mesas disponibles en este momento. ("Sorry sir, but there aren't any tables available right now.")
- No se preocupe, esperaremos un ratito. ("Don't worry, we'll wait a bit.")
With most people you'd say no se preocupe, but with someone you know (or speaking to a child), say the more informal no te preocupes.
Tranquilo
This is one of my favourite ways of saying "no problem". It really means "tranquil"… but more roughly translates to "cool".
People often use tranquilo (or tranquila for a woman) to say "calm down", e.g. when you're stressed out or worried.
But in many cases it can mean "don't worry" or "no problem", often with another phrase here, e.g. Está tranquilo, no hay ningún problema. And this usage can be abbreviated to "tranquilo".
Other more colloquial words that mean no problem in Spanish
Rollo, bronca, pedo, no hay pierde
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How Do You Say What's the Problem in Spanish
Source: https://discoverdiscomfort.com/no-problem-in-spanish/