✅Yes, no & the glue
Yes, no, maybe, not, also, of course, okay.
7 concepts
Columns follow the languages switched on at the top. Gender after the word (m/f/n); IPA beneath; notes, alternatives and origins underneath — nothing is hidden.
| Concept | English | Français | Español |
|---|---|---|---|
yes interjection | yes jɛs also: yeah, yep | oui wi also: si (contradicting a negative) THE si trap: 'Tu ne viens pas ?' — 'Si !' = yes I AM coming. Oui there would be ambiguous. Casual speech: ouais. | sí si The accent is the whole difference from si 'if'. |
no interjection | no nəʊ also: nope | non nɔ̃ Non merci. Casual softener: non non non (repetition is normal). | no no Doubles as 'not': no sé = I don't know. One word does both jobs. |
maybe / perhaps adverb | maybe ˈmeɪbi also: perhaps (more formal) | peut-être pøtɛtʁ Literally 'can-be'. Before a clause: peut-être que tu as raison. | quizás kiˈθas also: quizá, tal vez, a lo mejor (colloquial) With subjunctive it sounds more doubtful: quizás venga vs quizás viene. |
not adverb | not nɒt Contracts onto the verb: isn't, don't, can't. | ne … pas nə pa A two-part sandwich around the verb: je ne sais pas. Spoken French drops the ne: je sais pas / j'sais pas. | no no Just no before the verb: no hablo. Same word as the answer 'no'. |
also / too adverb | also ˈɔːlsəʊ also: too (at the end), as well Beware the German mirror-trap: German 'also' means 'so/therefore', never 'also'. | aussi osi Moi aussi = me too. At the START of a sentence aussi flips to 'therefore' (formal). | también tamˈbjen Negative twin tampoco: yo también = me too, yo tampoco = me neither — never 'no también'. |
of course interjection | of course əv ˈkɔːs Can shade into 'obviously!' — tone decides whether it's helpful or huffy. | bien sûr bjɛ̃ syʁ Bien sûr que oui/non = of course yes/no. Évidemment is the drier cousin. | claro ˈklaɾo also: por supuesto, desde luego (Spain) Literally 'clear'. Claro que sí = of course. Also the all-purpose 'right, uh-huh' while listening. |
okay / alright interjection | okay əʊˈkeɪ also: OK, alright The world's most exported word — every language below also just says 'okay'. | d'accord dakɔʁ Être d'accord = to agree. Speech: ça marche (that works), ça roule. | vale ˈbale Spain's every-third-word; Latin America says está bien, dale, or (Mexico) órale instead. |