No vuelvo a Cuba ni muerto

No vuelvo a Cuba ni muerto
 

The other day I went to the barber who is a Cuban settled in Madrid, and at some point I asked him, are you planning to return to Cuba and he said, ni muerto, how would you translate Ni muerto in this context. Not even dead?

sí
:):)

Over my dead body.

Pero eso es sobre mi cuerpo... :)

sobre mi cadaver es distinto.

¿Seguro que es distinto?

Over my dead body = ni pensarlo (which I would think means the same thing as 'ni muerto' o 'sobre mi cadáver')

So, to you, "I wouldn't think of it" means "over my dead body"?

I know where you're coming from, though. ;)

Yes, and no.

I know there's a Spanish dicho - ni pensarlo - that many people agree means the same thing as the English dicho 'over my dead body'. Sometimes I can see the connection between the two, but not if I translate literally. Dichos usually can't be translated literally.
If someone asked me to do something I would never do (or would never think of doing), saying 'over my dead body' is a suitable saying. However, I would be more inclined to use the saying if I someone told me they were going to hurt someone I care about. 'Over my dead body' means, "Oh, no you're not. You'd have to kill me first."

Edit:
It just dawned on me that these would be close translations of the saying that Robin posted:
Ni muerto
=Not on your life!
=I'd rather die (first)!
=Not if my life depended on it!

We also say, "tendrás que pasar por mi cuerpo/cadaver"

Más coloquialmente "nica" :rolleyes:

"ni llorando"
"me tienes que pillar muerto"

:)

I was married to a Cuban for years. So this one is easy for me to understand. How about ni loco! Not even crazy!

I conquerd but when he said Ni muerto, I think that he meant that not even he dies, he wants his body to be taken there and rest in peace.