||  cybertutorial 5 ||  the ne/yo particles

The Sentence-Ending Particles

"ne" is spoken at the end of an utterance to invite agreement from
the listener. It is also used within the body of an utterance as a verbal
pause word, in the sense of "You follow me so far, don't you?"

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.

 

"yo" is spoken at the end of an utterance to add emphasis,
as a sort of oral exclamation point.

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.


Sample Sentences:


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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