declinar
verbCEFR B2
What does “declinar” mean in English?
to decline, to politely turn down
to decline, to politely turn down (declinar una invitación / una oferta — formal register alternative to rechazar)
Example sentences
Lamentamos tener que declinar su invitación, pero tenemos un compromiso previo que no podemos posponer.
We regret that we must decline your invitation, but we have a prior commitment that we cannot postpone.
Tras considerar detenidamente su propuesta, hemos decidido declinarla en esta ocasión.
After careful consideration of your proposal, we have decided to decline it on this occasion.
El candidato declinó el ofrecimiento de trabajo alegando razones personales.
The candidate declined the job offer citing personal reasons.
How to use it
Declinar means 'to decline' — to politely refuse an invitation, offer, or request. It is a high-register alternative to rechazar (to reject) or no poder aceptar. The key register distinction: rechazar is blunt and can feel harsh; declinar is distanced and formal, standard in professional correspondence. Common patterns: declinar una invitación / una oferta / una propuesta. Lamentamos tener que declinar is a stock phrase for formal refusals. Note: declinar also has a grammatical meaning (to decline nouns/adjectives) — context separates them.
Common mistake
Over-formality: using declinar in casual conversation sounds excessively stiff — no puedo or no me viene bien is appropriate among friends. Under-formality: using rechazar in a formal refusal can sound dismissive or aggressive. Declinar occupies the middle-to-high formal register and is the correct choice in professional correspondence. Don't confuse it with the grammatical declinar (to inflect) — context makes this unambiguous.