Yes and No to Negative Question

[Bobthearith]

hello everybody,
anyone,pls help. i am so mixed up with my answer to the negative question. By example, when someone asks me:

Mr. A: didn't you go to school?
answers:
- yes (that means i didn't  go to school)
- no (that means i did go to school)

my senior colleague keeps telling me that i don't know the nature of yes and no. i need some explantions to the above PLS
Bob

[Socheata Tep]

Hi Bobthearith,

The "Yes & No" answers used to be my problem as well. Not only you but a huge number of English users who are not native speakers especially Cambodians are also having this problem. Actuallly, it is confusing for us to answer "Yes&No" questions in Cambodian Sense. In English, it is completely different from Khmer to answer "yes" or "no" to a question.

For example:

In Khmer Sense (We speak in Khmer but in this message I just write in English):
A: Didn't you go to school? (Min Tov Sa La Teh?)
B: Yes! (Bat/Chas)(which means that B did NOT go to school)

In English Sense:
A: Didn't you go to school?
B: Yes! (Which means that B DID go to school)
B: No! (Which means that B DID NOT go to school)

This is the grammartical explaination to support my message why I dare tell you like this. In English, "Yes" is followed by positive statement which express positive meaning, while "No" is followed by negative statement which express negative meaning. Actually only "Yes" or "No" that we use to answer a question is just the short form. They both do have their complete form which usually implied or shortened. So when you say "No" the negative meaning is expressed to the listener and "Yes" vice versa.

Again from the example above:

In English Sense:
A: Didn't you go to school?
B: Yes, I did go to school. (Which means that B DID go to school)
B: No, I did not go to school. (Which means that B DID NOT go to school)

So when we speak English, if we want to express positive meaning, just use "Yes" or "No" if we want to express negative meaning.

Hope that helps!

[Bobthearith]

thank you Socheata, that's really helpful!

[Kun]

ENGLISH IS EASY ??


who said english is easy ? :lol:


fill this blanks with yes or No.....



1._______________ i don't have a brain.

2._______________ I don't have any sense.

3. _______________ i am stupid.

4. _______________ i am mad.



Try to fill . all the best...

[jupiter]

Hi kun i think this is the most difficult yes/no question on earth :!:
but here is the answer:

1. Yes,  i don't have a brain.
2. Yes, i don't have any sense.
3. Yes, i am stupid.
4. Yes,  i am mad.

 :shock:   Who the pronoun "I" refers to  :?:   You?
 fill in this blank with yes or no

   .................I refers to me.

try to fill !!!
jupiter

[Paul Brown (MA CELTA)]

Hey Socheat Tep,

 Thanks for the great answer and the examples using the use of the same negative question tags in your native language ( Cambodian ). That was really helpful to me too, as I did not realise that the same question could have a totally different answer in the learners L1 ( L1 means first language, Cambodian) to the answer in L2 ( L2 means second language, English ).  

 That is something I learnt as well,  

 Thanks for that,  

 Have fun,  :wink:

 Paul

[hmm]

If you reply only "yes" or "no", you must keep on making mistake so a good way to avoid this is to reply in short or long aswer form.

A: Don't you want to go to school today?
B: No, I don't/ Yes, I do.
or
B: No, i don't want to go to school./ Yes, i want to go to school.

We can't say "Yes, I don't." or "No, I do." So the answers below are wrong.

A: Don't you want to go to school today?
B: Yes, I don't/ No, I do.
or
B: Yes, I don't want to go to school./ No, I want to go to school.

"Yes" can't be used with "don't" and "No" can't be used with "do" in such reply. But you can say as follow:

A: Don't you want to go to school today?
B: No, I want to go to my friend's party.
or
B: Yes, I don't want to cut class.