If a person asks you plainly for a date, try to respect him/her enough to give an honest and straightforward answer. Saying, "I like you as a friend but I'm not interested in you romantically," may sting a bit, but it's far less hurtful than leading someone on. In most cases, the most compassionate thing you can do is tell the truth., All you really need to say is, "No," or "I'm not interested." If possible, avoid qualifying your "no." it is not productive to tell the person exactly why you don't want to go out with him or her. If you give reasons, then you give the asker a chance to defend his/her offer – and you might hurt his/her self-esteem.In some cases, a person may explicitly ask you for reasons. "Why won't you go out with me?" If you are pushed, then feel free to give a few reasons – but keep them broad: "I don't want to go out with you because you're making me feel uncomfortable," or "I don't want to go out with you because I'm interested in someone else."
There is no sense in hurting someone's feelings and shooting down his/her self-esteem. It would be cruel to say, "I don't want to go out with you because you're short," or "I won't go out with you because you have bad teeth."

, Give a general but truthful reason for your "no": e.g. "I don't want to date anyone right now" or "I'm only dating so-and-so right now." Don't lie! When the truth comes out, the person's feelings might be hurt. If you are genuine, kind, and straightforward in your rejection, it will be hard for anyone to find fault in your actions.


An exception is if a stranger asks you out and you want to quickly get away from the situation. In this case, don't feel bad about lying and giving an excuse, such as, "I have a boyfriend." The stranger won't know.
Be straightforward.
Don't go into too much detail.
Be honest.
{"src": "wikihow-all_test", "title": "How to Decline a Date3"}