Possible Duplicate:
How to reply to question tags
I'm a Dutch native speaker so forgive my English mistakes (that's why I am here).
In Dutch it is normal to have a following example conversation:
Person A: You don't want this thing?
Person B: No
Meaning: person B does not want it. But since the answer is negative, if taken literally it would mean B wants the thing.
The answer 'yes' has a similar problem:
Person A: You don't want this thing?
Person B: Yes
Meaning: person B wants it, but giving a confirmation for the question in fact means the opposite.
What is the 'semantic' meaning in English?
