2

I know I need to answer in the same way regardless of questions are positive or negative in English.

For example, when I didn't go to work yesterday,

Q. Didn't you go to work yesterday? (Did you go to work yesterday?) A. No I didn't.

I am still taking time when answering negative questions in the real life, because in the language I was using before, it was deferent way. If I say yes to negative questions, it means I agree asker's negative questions. Anyway, I have been adapting to the English way to answer.

But what confuses me is that I meet those kind of native speakers who answer "Yeah." to the negative questions.

For example,

Q. You don't want to go? A. Yeah. (When he/she doesn't want to go.)

There have been many of native English speaker answering like this. So I am wondering if there is a difference between 'yes' and 'yeah'.

Improve this question
2
  • The speakers are using "yeah" as an informal way of saying "right," which is also informal. I'd call it fake cool.
    – Xanne
    Nov 27, 2017 at 8:48
  • Much of the meaning of "yeah" depends on tone of voice, which is difficult if not impossible to portray accurately in a written forum such as this. The syllable is invariably informal, and given the appropriate intonation can be a sarcastic negative as well as an enthusiastic affirmative.
    – Rob_Ster
    Nov 27, 2017 at 15:58

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

These sorts of questions (asked to reply in the affirmative to a negative) are fundamentally confusing, and can't be answered yes or no without adding to the confusion.

If someone says "You don't want to go?", it's like saying "Is is true that the negative is the case?". An answer yes or no could be replying to "is it true" or replying to the negative.

So, both "yes" and "no" are poor answers to a poor question, if we're judging communications on their quality and comprehensibility.

It's best to answer these sort of questions in more depth - you can still use yes or no eg

Q:"You don't want to go?"
A:"No, I don't want to go", or, more simply "I don't want to go".

In both cases, the questioner has been left in no doubt about the answer to their question.

Improve this answer
0

There is no difference between 'yes' and 'yeah.' You probably saw 'yeah' more because it's more informal, and this way of answering negative "questions" is also informal.

As for your example: "you don't want to go?" it's more of a statement that was said in a questioning tone. That's why the person agreed with 'yeah' instead of 'no, I don't.'

If the question was "don't you want to go?/do you not want to go?" You wouldn't be able to answer with 'yes' or 'yeah.' Instead, you might see it answered with 'no' or even 'nah' if we're still looking for informal responses that are used daily.

I hope I helped, and don't hesitate to ask me if you still find a few things unclear. Have a good day! :)

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.