nee verkopen

Dutch

Etymology

Literally, “to sell no”.

Verb

nee verkopen

1. (intransitive, idiomatic, informal) to decline, say no

   Synonym: weigeren

   Je gaat nee moeten verkopen, maar dat zal de klant niet leuk vinden. ― You'll have to say no, but the client won't like that.

Usage notes

• Mostly encountered in the infinitive.
• Has a connotation of a negative response that should include some form of justification (this expectation of justification being implicit in the verb verkopen, meaning "to sell"); it implies that the addressee would be disappointed or unpleasantly surprised by the negative response.

Conjugation

Conjugation of nee verkopen: see verkopen.