Soto wa samui desu
ne.
outside cold is
(It) is cold outside (isn't it).
kare no denwa
bangou wa...ne...san-yon-ichi-roku
no go-ni-hachi-nana desu.
his telephone number 3416-5287 is.
His telephone number is (are you ready) 3416-5287.
Tigaimasu
yo.
wrong
(You) are wrong!
[Used to tell a person they have dialed the wrong
number.]
In addition to its
use in inviting agreement (remember, the normal object of a
conversation in Japanese is to create an atmosphere of agreement, not
confrontation) ne
can also be used at the end of sentences which express agreement with
what someone else has said:
Examples:
Hontou ni sou desu
ne.
(That) is really true.
Sore wa sou desu
ne.
That is right.
A very frequent
use of ne
is in the expression "Sou desu ne
", which
is used as
a preface to the answer to a direct question, primarily to soften the
force
of a direct reply.
"Sou desu
ne
" can also
be used as a sort of verbal pause while thinking of one's
answer to a direct reply, but usually its use before making a direct
reply is more
to soften the force of the direct reply rather than to provide
oneself with the time
to come up with a good answer.
The sound of
ne
is sometimes stretched out: ne,
when used in the "Sou desu ne
"
expression and at the end of sentences which express some sort of
admiration.
In response to a question:
Sou desu
ne.... kare wa ii souridaijin ni naru deshou.
Hmm... He (will) probably become (a) good Prime Minister.
Kyou wa atui desu ne.
today hot is
(It) is hot today (isn't it).
Mattaku sono toori
desu yo.
absolutely that way is
That's absolutely right!
Kore wa anata no
megane desu ne.
These your glasses are
These are your glasses (aren't they),
Eigo wa motto
muzukasii desu yo.
English more difficult is
English is (even) more difficult!
Hokkaidou no fuyu
wa hontou ni samui desu nee.
Hokkaido winter truly/really cold is
Hokkaido's winter is really cold (isn't it).
Kare no kutu wa
ookii desu ne.
his shoes large are
His shoes are large (aren't they).
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