Page 360 - Basic Japanese
P. 360
Dame desu yo.
It’s no good (= don’t do it; I won’t do it).
大丈夫ですよ。
Daijōbu desu yo.
It’ll be okay!
｢本当ですか。｣ 「本当ですよ。」
“Hontō desu ka.” “Hontō desu yo.”
“Are you sure?” “Sure, I’m sure.”
「これを借りてもいいで 「ええ，いいですよ。」
すか。」
“Kore o karite mo ii desu “Ē, ii desu yo.”
ka.”
“Is it okay to borrow “Yes, it is fine.”
this?”
The meaning of yo is in some ways the opposite of that of
ne. Yo means you insist on your statement whatever the
other person may say or think; ne asks the other person to
agree with you, suggests that you think he already knows
what you’re saying, and implies you might be willing to
modify what you’ve said if you were mistaken about his
agreement. If you are not careful, you might sound too
pushy when yo is not used appropriately. By contrast, the
use of yo is encouraged when you are giving a compliment
or permission to others.
