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Spanish (Latin America)

### Softening Refusals with "Es que..."

When you need to cancel plans or say "no" to an invitation, a direct refusal can sometimes sound too blunt. To soften the blow, native Spanish speakers frequently introduce their excuse with the phrase **es que...** (it's just that...).

It acts as a verbal cushion, letting the listener know that you aren't just being difficult, but a sudden setback (*un contratiempo*) is preventing you from following through.

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### "Lo que pasa es que..."

For a slightly longer, highly common alternative, you can use **lo que pasa es que...** (the thing is... / what's happening is that...).

Just like *es que*, it is followed by a normal conjugated verb (the indicative). You will hear this phrase constantly in everyday conversations when people need to explain the real reason behind an action, or why things aren't going according to plan.

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Justifications (es que...)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

expression

interjection

noun

numeral

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Subject pronouns and the verb to be (yo soy)

Noun gender and definite articles (el, la)

Basic sentences and negation (no)

Indefinite articles (un, una)

Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)

Plural pronouns and the verb to be (somos, son)

Making nouns plural (-s, -es)

Plural articles (los, las, unos, unas)

Noun gender exceptions

Adjective agreement

Invariable adjectives

State and location (estar)

Ser vs. estar

There is / there are (hay)

Hay vs. estar

To have (tener)

Possession (de)

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su)

Regular -ar verbs

Yes/No questions

What and who (qué, quién)

Regular -er verbs

Regular -ir verbs

Asking where (dónde, adónde)

How, when, and why (cómo, cuándo, por qué)

How much and how many (cuánto)

Days of the week

Going to a place (ir a)

Preposition contractions (al, del)

In and by (en)

With me and with you (conmigo, contigo)

Prepositional pronouns (mí, ti)

Conjunctions (y, o, pero)

Giving reasons (porque)

Stem-changing verbs (e to ie)

Stem-changing verbs (o to ue)

Stem-changing verbs (e to i)

Irregular yo forms (hago, salgo)

To know (saber vs. conocer)

Weather expressions (hace, está)

Desires and plans (querer)

Ability and requests (poder)

Obligations (tener que)

Expressing likes (me gusta)

Plural likes (me gustan)

Verbs like gustar (encantar, doler)

Very vs. a lot (muy, mucho)

Numbers 0 to 15 (cero, uno, dos…)

Numbers 16 to 31 (dieciséis, veinte…)

Numbers 30 to 1000 (treinta, cien, mil)

Months of the year (enero, febrero, marzo)

Seasons and dates (el dos de mayo)

Telling time (es la..., son las...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero, segundo, tercero)

Reflexive pronouns and verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

The present continuous (estar + -ando, -iendo)

Near demonstrative adjectives (este, esta, estos, estas)

Medium demonstrative adjectives (ese, esa, esos, esas)

Comparatives of inequality (más / menos ... que)

Comparatives of equality (tan ... como)

Indefinite and negative pronouns (algo, nada, alguien, nadie)

Affirmative commands

Far demonstratives (aquel, aquella)

Possessive pronouns (el mío, el tuyo)

Shortened indefinite adjectives (algún, ningún)

Adverbs of quantity (demasiado, bastante)

Adverbs of frequency (a menudo, a veces)

Adverb formation (-mente)

Exclamations (¡Qué...!)

Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor)

Relative superlatives (el más... de)

Adjective intensification (-ísimo)

Indirect object pronouns

Pronoun placement with infinitives

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

The 'se lo' rule (se lo, se la)

Impersonal statements (se)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Personal obligation (deber)

Starting actions (empezar a)

Finishing and quitting actions (terminar de, dejar de)

Repeating actions (volver a)

Continuing actions (seguir + gerundio)

Question	Answer
to happen	pasar
to get complicated	complicarse
I can't go today. The thing is, the project just got complicated.	No puedo ir hoy. Lo que pasa es que el proyecto acaba de complicarse.
the setback / the mishap	el contratiempo
It's just that I have a setback and I have to cancel the meeting.	Es que tengo un contratiempo y tengo que cancelar la reunión.
the babysitter	la niñera
to get sick	enfermarse
I can't leave. The thing is, the babysitter just got sick.	No puedo salir. Lo que pasa es que la niñera acaba de enfermarse.
the internet	el internet
The babysitter is here, but the thing is, the internet is failing.	La niñera está aquí, pero es que el internet está fallando.
the wallet / the purse	la cartera
The thing is, I don't have internet and I forgot my wallet.	Lo que pasa es que no tengo internet y se me olvidó la cartera.
the molar / the tooth (back)	la muela
It's just that my molar hurts a lot and the appointment is getting complicated.	Es que me duele mucho la muela y la cita se está complicando.
The thing is, my molar hurts. I have to go to the doctor.	Lo que pasa es que me duele la muela. Tengo que ir al doctor.
to get a flat tire	pincharse
the tow truck	la grúa
It's just that a tire just went flat and I need a tow truck.	Es que acaba de pincharse una llanta y necesito una grúa.
The thing is, the tow truck isn't arriving.	Lo que pasa es que la grúa no llega.
It's just that I have a setback and I'm not going to arrive today.	Es que tengo un contratiempo y no voy a llegar hoy.
trapped / stuck	atrapado
The thing is, we're trapped in the elevator.	Lo que pasa es que estamos atrapados en el ascensor.
It's just that I'm trapped here and I'm getting sick.	Es que estoy atrapado aquí y me estoy enfermando.
It's just that I lost my wallet in the taxi.	Es que se me perdió la cartera en el taxi.
The thing is, a tire is going flat.	Lo que pasa es que una llanta se está pinchando.
to depend (depender de)	depender
It's just that it depends on the weather.	Es que depende del clima.
Everything depends on you.	Todo depende de ti.