New here? This is lesson 65 of a free 238-lesson Spanish course.
Free Spanish CourseLesson 65 of 238
No way in Spanish
Justin is hearing unbelievable news at the café, and Megan has a strange detail: someone saw the recipe card in a wool-coat pocket.
This lesson gives you several Mexican reactions, from the very plain ¿Neta? to stronger surprise and disbelief.
By the end, you'll be able to react naturally without repeating the same English phrase every time. Yako is sitting right there, too.
By the end of this lesson
React to surprising news with casual and plain Mexican Spanish.
- ¡No puede ser!No way
- ¿Neta?No way, really?
- ¡No me digas!You're kidding
- No me lo esperabaI didn't expect that
- ¡Qué sorpresa!What a surprise
- Cuesta creerloThat's hard to believe
Scene — the recipe card
At Café Laurel, Megan is telling Justin and Yako about a missing recipe card.
Someone supposedly saw it inside a wool coat pocket, and the table is about to stop serving coffee for a moment.
Learn — reacting to surprising news
These six reactions overlap in meaning, but they don't all sound equally strong or casual.
Learn each one as a ready-made chunk, then notice how the table conversation builds from surprise to disbelief.
¡No puede ser!
No way
When to use it: Use this when news sounds impossible or extremely surprising.
Learn it as one strong reaction; puede means can, but the whole chunk means no way.
Say it: noh PWEH-deh sehr
¿Neta?
No way, really?
When to use it: Use this casual Mexican question when you want to check surprising news.
Neta is very casual in Mexico and can mean really or truth in this question.
Say it: NEH-tah
¡No me digas!
You're kidding
When to use it: Say this when information surprises you and you almost cannot believe it.
Although it literally mentions telling, learn the whole chunk as a surprised reaction.
Say it: noh meh DEE-gahs
No me lo esperaba
I didn't expect that
When to use it: Use this when an event or piece of news catches you unprepared.
The lo refers to the unexpected thing; keep the phrase together as one reaction.
Say it: noh meh loh ehs-peh-RAH-bah
¡Qué sorpresa!
What a surprise
When to use it: Say this when something is surprising, whether the surprise is good or bad.
Qué means what here, and sorpresa is feminine, but learn the expression as a chunk.
Say it: keh sohr-PREH-sah
Cuesta creerlo
That's hard to believe
When to use it: Use this when a claim seems difficult to accept as true.
Cuesta means it costs or is difficult; creerlo means to believe it.
Say it: KWEHS-tah kreh-EHR-loh
Story — a wool-coat mystery
Watch how Megan's strange report gets stronger reactions from Justin. The highlighted lines are today's expressions.
Megan uses a plain earlier reaction too, while Yako supplies the final contradiction from his chair.
- Megan lowers her voice over the café table and points toward a wool coat.
- MeganAlguien vio la tarjeta en un bolsillo de abrigo de lana.Someone saw the card in a wool-coat pocket.
Justin¿Neta? ¿En serio?No way? Seriously?- MeganEs cierto; eso dijeron.It's true; that's what they said.
- Justin¡No puede ser!No way!
- MeganSí, así fue.Yes, that's how it was.
- Justin¡No me digas!You're kidding!
- MeganEso dijeron.That's what they said.
- JustinCuesta creerlo.That's hard to believe.
- MeganSí, es difícil de creer.Yes, it's hard to believe.
- JustinNo me lo esperaba.I didn't expect that.
- MeganYo tampoco.Me neither.
- Justin¡Qué sorpresa!What a surprise!
- Yako, sitting on his two chairs, glances at the recipe card beside his coffee.
YakoEso no estaba en la nota.That wasn't on the note.
Practice — show your disbelief
You'll hear, match, choose, complete, and build the reactions in short situations.
Some activities bring back earlier lines, so you can connect surprise with agreement and real conversation.
0 of 9 done
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Match the pairs
Spanish
¿Neta?Drop the English here¡Qué sorpresa!Drop the English hereEs ciertoDrop the English hereEnglish
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
¡No me digas!
What do you say?
What do you say?
Megan tells you someone found the recipe card in a wool-coat pocket. You find the story almost impossible.
What do you say?
What do you say?
Megan tells you shocking news and asks for your immediate emotional reaction. React directly instead of confirming it or asking a follow-up.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
What a surprise
¡Qué ____!
What do you say?
What do you say?
Megan reveals that Yako was sitting beside the card the entire time. You never saw that coming.
True or false?
True or false?
¿De verdad? is a casual way to ask if surprising news is really true.
Build the line
Build the line
That's hard to believe
Tap the words in order.
Say it — react naturally
Now respond as Justin while Megan shares the strange story. Use the casual question first, then react as the details become harder to accept.
Tap ▶ to hear each model line, or tap the microphone when it's your turn. Your recording stays on your device.
- MeganAlguien vio la tarjeta en un bolsillo de lana.Someone saw the card in a wool pocket.
- Justin (you)Ask casually if that's really true.
Ask casually if that's really true.
¿Neta?
No way, really?
0 of 4 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Spanish | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| ¡No puede ser! | No way | |
| ¿Neta? | No way, really? | |
| ¡No me digas! | You're kidding | |
| No me lo esperaba | I didn't expect that | |
| ¡Qué sorpresa! | What a surprise | |
| Cuesta creerlo | That's hard to believe |
Save your progress — it’s free
Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.
Want the next lesson in your inbox?
Get the next lesson by email, one a day.
Join the newsletterDaily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.
Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Want to keep these disbelief reactions handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.
A quick Yak Cards review helps you choose between a casual ¿Neta? and a stronger reaction.
Open Yak Cards