Portuguese Phrase

Não quero sobremesa, obrigado.

/nãw ˈkeɾu su.bɾeˈme.za oˈbɾi.ga.du/

Meaning"I don’t want dessert, thank you."

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Meaning

Literally, “I don’t want dessert, thank you.” It is a courteous way to decline a dessert offering while still expressing gratitude for the invitation.

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When to use

Use this sentence at a restaurant, café, or at a friend’s house when you’ve been offered a sweet treat after the main course and you want to politely refuse.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Nãoquerosobremesaobrigado

Não (Negation)

‘Não’ is the standard adverb for negation, placed before the verb to make the statement negative.

Quero (Verbo querer)

‘Quero’ is the first‑person singular present of ‘querer’ (to want). It follows the subject (implicit ‘eu’) and precedes the object.

Sobremesa (Substantivo)

‘Sobremesa’ means ‘dessert’. It is a feminine noun, but the article is omitted because it follows the verb directly.

Obrigado/Obrigada (Agradecimento)

‘Obrigado’ is used by male speakers; female speakers say ‘obrigada’. It works as a polite way to thank someone after refusing.

🗨In Conversation

Quer sobremesa?

Would you like dessert?

Não quero sobremesa, obrigado.

I don’t want dessert, thank you.

✕Common Mistakes

Não gosto sobremesa, obrigado.
‘Gosto’ requires the preposition ‘de’ (gosto de sobremesa). Using it without ‘de’ is ungrammatical.
Não quero sobremesa, obrigado. (said by a woman)
Female speakers should say ‘obrigada’. Using the masculine form sounds odd.
Não quero as sobremesas, obrigado.
When refusing a single serving, keep it singular. Adding ‘as’ changes the meaning.

↔Alternatives

Prefiro não comer sobremesa, obrigado.
I’d rather not eat dessert, thank you.
Não gostaria de sobremesa, obrigado.
I wouldn’t like dessert, thank you.
Vou ficar sem sobremesa, obrigado.
I’ll skip dessert, thank you.

Cultural Tip

In Brazil it’s common to end a refusal with ‘obrigado’ (or ‘obrigada’ for women) to keep the tone friendly. Remember to match the gender of ‘obrigado/obrigada’ with the speaker, not the listener. Also, Brazilians often use a light‑hearted tone and a smile when declining food, so the phrase sounds polite rather than abrupt.