A: Did you know that Alison has been promoted after just one month on the job?

B: Get out of here!

Have you heard anything unbelievable lately? Do you know how to respond to such news in ways other than “I can’t believe it”? Read on to learn handy colloquial and formal phrases to express your disbelief naturally and idiomatically.

Informal Language

Phrase	Example
Get out (of here)!	A: I just got offered a job at my dream company! B: Get out of here! That’s fantastic news!
Get out of town!	A: I won a trip to Paris in a contest! B: Get out of town! That’s incredible!
I’ll be damned!	A: Guess who I ran into at the grocery store? Brad Pitt! B: I’ll be damned! Are you serious?
No way!	A: I just finished writing my novel! B: No way! That’s amazing!
No way in hell!	A: They’re saying it’s going to snow in June! B: No way in hell! That’s crazy!
No freaking way!	A: I found my lost wallet with all my money still in it! B: No freaking way! That’s unbelievable!
You’re kidding!	A: I just got tickets to the concert next week! B: You’re kidding! That’s awesome!
You’re kidding me, right?	A: I just saw a UFO in the sky! B: You’re kidding me, right? That’s impossible!
You must be joking!	A: I ate the whole pizza by myself! B: You must be joking! How did you manage that?
Surely you jest.	A: I just saw a unicorn in the park! B: Surely you jest! Unicorns aren’t real.
Shut the front door!*	A: I won the lottery! B: Shut the front door! No way!
Shut the heck up!**	A: I just aced my final exam without studying! B: Shut the heck up! That’s incredible!
You’re pulling my leg!	A: I met a celebrity at the airport yesterday. B: You’re pulling my leg! Who was it?
Are you pulling my chain?	A: I found a diamond ring in my backyard. B: Are you pulling my chain? Seriously?
Are you for real?	A: I got a job offer in Hawaii! B: Are you for real? That’s amazing!
That’s nuts!***	A: I just saw a dog riding a skateboard. B: That’s nuts! I’ve got to see that!
You’re messing with me!	A: I won a free vacation to the Bahamas! B: You’re messing with me! Really?

*Be extra careful with this idiom because it may sound very rude. The rule of thumb is to use it with close friends in a context that makes it very clear you’re speaking jokingly. ‘Shut the front door’ basically means ‘shut up’.

**’Shut the heck up’ is very similar to ‘shut the front door,’ and again, you need to be careful when using this phrase. It also means ‘shut up,’ simply put.

***’That’s nuts’ means ‘that’s crazy,’ in other words. You can use either phrase to express disbelief. When you find something crazy or totally unbelievable, exclaiming ‘that’s crazy/nuts’ effectively conveys your feeling of disbelief.

Formal Language

Phrase	Example
I find that hard to believe.	A: I heard Sarah climbed Mount Everest last summer. B: Really? I find that hard to believe. She’s never been much of a hiker.
That defies belief.	A: The company’s profits tripled in just one quarter. B: That defies belief! How did they manage that during a recession?
That’s difficult to fathom /ˈfæðəm/.	A: The universe is estimated to be over 13 billion years old. B: Wow, that’s difficult to fathom. It’s hard to grasp such immense timescales.
That seems improbable.	A: I won the lottery twice in the same year. B: That seems improbable. The odds of that happening are incredibly slim.
I’m finding it challenging to accept that.	A: He claims he can run a marathon in under two hours. B: I’m finding it challenging to accept that. Even professional athletes find that difficult.
I’m having a hard time believing that.	A: The new intern solved the complex coding issue in just an hour. B: I’m having a hard time believing that. It’s unusual for someone new to the team to resolve such intricate problems so quickly.
I’m not sure I can trust that information.	A: According to this article, coffee cures cancer. B: I’m not sure I can trust that information. It sounds too good to be true.
That strikes me as unlikely.	A: He claims he can speak 10 languages fluently. B: That strikes me as unlikely. It’s rare for someone to be fluent in so many languages.
I’m somewhat incredulous /ɪnˈkredʒələs/ about that.	A: They say they discovered a new species of dinosaur in the Amazon. B: I’m somewhat incredulous about that. It seems unlikely to find such discoveries in this day and age.
I have my doubts about that.	A: The government promises to reduce taxes and increase social spending. B: I have my doubts about that. Politicians often make promises they can’t keep.
I have reservations about that.*	A: The team wants to implement a new software system without proper testing. B: I have reservations about that. Rushing into such changes could lead to major problems.
I’m not convinced by that.	A: He argues that climate change is not influenced by human activities. B: I’m not convinced by that. The scientific consensus strongly supports human impact on climate.
That appears to stretch the truth.	A: She claims she ran a marathon in under three hours. B: That appears to stretch the truth. It’s a highly competitive time for marathon runners.
That’s beyond belief.	A: The company’s CEO embezzled millions of dollars. B: That’s beyond belief! How could such a thing happen in a reputable company?
That strains credulity /krɪˈduːləti/.	A: I read an article claiming that a single ant can carry objects 50 times its body weight. B: That strains credulity. It seems improbable that such a tiny creature could manage such a feat.

* ‘Reservations’ means ‘doubts’ in this formal context.

Practice

Exercise 1. Click the link here and sort out the phrases according to their level of formality.

Exercise 2. Click the link here and choose the right word to complete the sentences.

Would you like to practice further? In the comments below, let us know, using this post’s vocabulary, what you find beyond belief, nuts, and simply improbable.