What's the best and politest way to say "no" to something?

when you are telling "no" it has to be promptly and still polite. If you want to refuse something , for exemple something that someone wants you to do , you can use " I am sorry / i regret but i can't do that / i can't go there." or " i think it's best if I don't do that / go there " or " I am afraid that I have to refuse you , i am sorry"

This depends on the question, but if it's a request for you to "do" something you don't want to do... Then maybe look at your reason why, and be honest.

I generally prefer the straight-forward approach, however, it's always important to anticipate the reaction and feelings of the person you are saying "no" to. If it's someone you know well, it's usually a lot easier to reply with a simple "no." If it's someone you don't know very well, or who may view a "no" as rejection, the best approach is to phrase your refusal as kindly as possible. For example, if you are being invited to a party which you would rather not attend, instead of saying something like "I really don't enjoy parties so I won't be able to attend" you might say "Thank you for the invitation, that's so kind of you to think of me and invite me to your party. It sounds like it will be a great deal of fun. Unfortunately, I have made other plans for that evening." It's always best to reply with kindness in every situation because when you do that you increase the odds that you will be treated with kindness in return.

Sometimes people try to make excuse, sometimes people will also try to delay giving the answer, or not replying at all. But to say no you need practice. It's not easy sometime, but it's necessary. Just think about this: you seem to be respectful to other people by asking how to say no in the best and politest way. I wonder how do you respect yourself by enabling yourself to say what you truly wanna say?

In my personal opinion the best way to say "no" to something would be "Thank you, but I have to politely decline your offer."

I'm really sorry, I just don't know if that is something I can handle right now. Things are a bit crazy right now, but when things slow down in my life, I'd love to be able to help you out with something!

Sometimes the best and the most polite are different! The best way is to say "No". That's it, no explanation, no justification, no apology. You can say it in a nice tone of voice of course. (Don't smile too much, it might undermine your words.) The politest way could be to say, "Hmmm, I need to check my diary, can I get back to you?". If they say they need to know straightaway, you can respond with "I'd better just say no then". Later on, you can decide whether to get back to them or not, and how to get back to them: an SMS/text message might feel easier than to say it in-person. If a person pressurises me to say yes, I believe they may not have my best interests at heart. That reminds me that I don't have to do what they want, and that my needs are just as important as theirs. A firm and polite method is to say "No, but thank you for asking".

Apologize and state that you can't with a reason. Tell the person that you are really sorry but u can't.

The best way to politely say "no" is to just say "no thank you". It is simple and effective, getting the point across but doing so politely.

If you want to say no to something politely, the best way to do this is to be straight up and honest, try not to make up false excuses and try to explain the reasons why honestly, this will make it more understandable