I Didn’t Do That in Spanish | Say It Without Sounding Harsh

The plain, everyday phrase is “No hice eso,” and you can add “yo” when you want extra emphasis.

You’re in a tense moment. A spill, a broken button, a wrong email, a rule you didn’t break. In English you reach for “I didn’t do that.” In Spanish, you’ve got a few solid choices. The trick is picking the one that matches what you mean: a simple denial, a softer clarification, or a firm line that ends the back-and-forth.

This article gives you the most natural translations, the grammar that sits under them, and the tone tweaks that stop you sounding rude or evasive. You’ll also get ready-to-use sentence patterns you can drop into real talk.

Saying I Didn’t Do That in Spanish with the right tone

If you want the closest, most direct match, start here:

• No hice eso. = I didn’t do that.
• Yo no hice eso. = I didn’t do that (with emphasis on “I”).

Both use hacer (“to do/make”) in the simple past (pretérito). You’ll see hice a lot because it’s the “I” form and it’s irregular. If you want a quick, reliable reference for hacer and its forms, the RAE entry for “hacer” is a solid place to check meaning and usage notes.

Spanish lets you drop the subject pronoun most of the time, since the verb ending already shows who did it. That’s why No hice eso is often the default. Add yo when you’re correcting an assumption or pushing back on an accusation.

When “No lo hice” beats “No hice eso”

Spanish uses object pronouns constantly. If the “that” is already clear in the scene, Spanish often swaps eso for lo:

• No lo hice. = I didn’t do it.
• Yo no lo hice. = I didn’t do it (strong emphasis).

Use lo when everyone knows what “it” is. Use eso when you want to point at the specific action, claim, or item. In speech, eso can also carry a hint of “that thing you’re talking about.”

How strong do you want to sound

In English, “I didn’t do that” can be neutral, defensive, or sharp depending on your voice. Spanish gives you similar control with word order and add-ons:

• Eso no lo hice. Puts “that” first, like “That, I didn’t do.” It can sound corrective.
• No hice eso yo. Lands the emphasis at the end. It can sound pointed in a dispute.
• No, yo no hice eso. A spoken reset. Good when someone keeps pressing.

Keep your delivery calm and your wording stays clean. Stack too many intensifiers and you’ll sound like you’re arguing, even if you’re not.

Picking the right verb for what you mean

English uses “do” for a lot of jobs. Spanish splits that work across a few verbs. You’ll still use hacer most of the time, but not always.

Use “hacer” for actions and tasks

If “that” is an action, a task, or something you “did,” hacer is usually right:

• No hice eso. (I didn’t do that.)
• No hice la reserva. (I didn’t make the booking.)
• No hice el cambio. (I didn’t make the change.)

Use “decir” for words you didn’t say

If the issue is a quote, a comment, or a message, Spanish often prefers “say” rather than “do”:

• Yo no dije eso. = I didn’t say that.
• Eso no lo dije yo. = That wasn’t me who said it.

Use “ser” to deny being the person responsible

When you mean “It wasn’t me,” Spanish commonly uses ser:

• No fui yo. = It wasn’t me.
• Yo no fui. = I wasn’t the one (context decides the rest).

This option feels more like denying responsibility than denying the specific act. If someone is blaming you for a mess, No fui yo can be the most natural quick response.

How the past tense works in this phrase

No hice is the pretérito, used for finished actions. In everyday Spanish, this tense is a workhorse for “I did,” “I went,” “I bought,” “I sent,” and so on.

If you want a trusted refresher on when Spanish uses the pretérito indefinido in teaching materials, the Instituto Cervantes activity on “pretérito indefinido” lays out the core idea with learner-friendly examples.

Why “hice” looks weird

Hacer is irregular in the past. That’s why you get hice instead of something like hacé. If you want a full conjugation table that includes the simple past forms in one screen, Larousse’s conjugation for “hacer” shows hice, hiciste, hizo and the rest.

Good news: you don’t need to memorize every tense to use this phrase well. You just need hice and a few extra pieces like eso and lo.

Mistakes that make the sentence sound off

These slips are common when you translate word-for-word from English.

• Using “no hice de eso”. Spanish doesn’t add de here. Stick with No hice eso or No lo hice.
• Mixing up “hice” and “hizo”.Hice is “I did.” Hizo is “he/she did.” If you say No hizo eso, you’re talking about someone else.
• Overusing “yo”.Yo no hice eso is fine when you need emphasis. In neutral talk, No hice eso sounds more relaxed.

If you want a quick check on idiomatic uses of hacer and the grammar around it, the RAE Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry on “hacer” gives practical notes that match real usage.

When Spanish switches to “no he hecho”

In Spain and in many settings, you may also hear:

• No he hecho eso. = I haven’t done that.

This is the present perfect. It can fit when the time window is still “open,” like today, this week, or recently. In a lot of Latin America, speakers often still pick No hice eso in situations where Spain leans toward No he hecho eso. You’ll be understood with either choice, so pick the one you hear around you.

What you mean in English	Natural Spanish line	When it fits best
I didn’t do that.	No hice eso.	Direct denial of a finished act.
I didn’t do it.	No lo hice.	When “it” is already obvious.
I didn’t do that, me.	No hice eso yo.	When you’re correcting blame in a dispute.
That wasn’t me.	No fui yo.	Fast denial of being responsible.
I didn’t say that.	Yo no dije eso.	When the issue is words, not actions.
I didn’t mean to do that.	No quise hacer eso.	When you deny intent, not the act.
I didn’t do anything.	No hice nada.	When you deny any action at all.
I didn’t do it on purpose.	No lo hice a propósito.	When you admit the act, deny intent.
I didn’t do it like that.	No lo hice así.	When you reject the method or style.

Polite ways to deny it without sounding defensive

Sometimes you’re not in trouble, you’re just clearing up confusion. Spanish has softeners that keep the conversation smooth.

Add a calm clarifier

• No, creo que no fui yo. = No, I think it wasn’t me.
• No, yo no hice eso. = No, I didn’t do that.
• No lo hice yo; lo hizo otra persona. = I didn’t do it; someone else did.

Creo que (“I think”) softens your denial. Use it when you’re genuinely unsure or when blame feels premature. If you’re certain, drop creo que and keep the sentence short.

Shift from blame to facts

If you want to move from accusation to a practical fix, try adding a small fact:

• No hice eso; llegué después. = I didn’t do that; I arrived later.
• No lo hice; estaba en otra parte. = I didn’t do it; I was elsewhere.
• No fui yo; mi cuenta estaba cerrada. = It wasn’t me; my account was closed.

Notice what’s happening: the denial stays short, then you add one detail that can be checked.

Pronunciation and rhythm that sound natural

Even with perfect grammar, you can sound stiff if you stress the wrong piece. Here are quick cues you can practice aloud.

Stress points

• No HI-ce e-so (HI is the main beat)
• No lo HI-ce (same beat, tighter)
• Yo no HI-ce e-so (extra weight on yo)

Common reductions in fast speech

In casual speech, eso can sound like “eh-so,” and no lo hice can run together. Don’t force speed. Aim for a steady rhythm and clean vowels.

Useful sentence patterns you can reuse

When you’re under pressure, it helps to have templates ready. Swap the bracketed parts and keep the skeleton.

Pattern	Example	Best use
No hice [eso].	No hice eso.	Simple denial.
No lo hice; [dato breve].	No lo hice; llegué después.	Denial plus one checkable fact.
No fui yo; fue [persona/cosa].	No fui yo; fue mi hermano.	Redirect responsibility.
No quise [verbo]; fue un error.	No quise hacerlo; fue un error.	Deny intent, accept the outcome.
Yo no dije [eso].	Yo no dije eso.	Denial about words.
Eso no lo hice yo.	Eso no lo hice yo.	Firm correction when blamed.

Mini practice to make it stick

Read these out loud twice. Then cover the Spanish and try to produce it from the English cue.

• I didn’t do that. → No hice eso.
• I didn’t do it. → No lo hice.
• That wasn’t me. → No fui yo.
• I didn’t say that. → Yo no dije eso.
• I didn’t do it on purpose. → No lo hice a propósito.
• I didn’t mean to do that. → No quise hacer eso.

Once these feel easy, start plugging in your own “that”: la llamada (the call), el cambio (the change), el pedido (the order). Keep the denial short, keep your tone steady, and you’ll sound clear and natural.