Posted by Have you ever been asked a tag question where you thought that the answer must either be ja or nein? Well, you probably guessed right except that there is one more particle that can possibly be in use as a response to such questions- doch! In summary: The modal particles “Ja, nein oder doch” are the possible answers to a tag question in German whose usage is dependent on several other factors in the sentence.
| Content in this post |
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| 1. How to use the particle “Ja” 2. How to use the particle “Doch” 3. How to use the particle “Nein” 4. Similarity between doch, ja & nein 5. Difference between doch, ja & nein |
How To Use The Particle “Ja”
The use of this particle is in two ways;
- To respond positively to a tag question
- To express an already known fact
This can be seen in the examples below…
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. F: Fährst du noch dein rotes Auto? A: Ja. | Q: do you still drive your red can? A: yes. |
| 2. Du weißt ja, dass ich lieber eine Tochter haben möchte. | You know (of course) that I would preferably like to have a daughter. |
How To Use The Particle “Doch”
This particle is used in two ways;
- To respond positively to a tag question with a negative particle or article
- To show disagreement to tag a question without a negative particle or article that hast an obvious answer.
Let’s take for instance, person-A asks person-B a question which person-B supposed has an obvious answer as „yes“, then person B responds with „doch“ which is a better choice than ja. See exemplary sentences below. This can be seen in the examples below…
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. F: Fährst du dein rotes Auto nicht? (don’t you drive your red car?) | Doch, ich fahre es gern. (of course i drive it) |
| 2. Willst du lieber eine Tochter haben? (do you preferably want to have a daughter?) | Doch, ich habe schon drei Söhne (yes, I have three sons already) |
How To Use The Particle “Nein”
This negative particle is the negative affirmative response to a tag question that does not contain a negative article or particle. It is used in two ways;
- To show disagreement/ refusal to a tag question
- As a response to counter a double negative statement in order to re-instate the negative.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. F: Fährst du noch dein rotes Auto? (do you still drive your red car?) | Nein, ich fahre es nicht mehr. (No, I don’t drive it anymore) |
| 2. Willst du lieber eine Tochter haben? (do you preferably want to have a daughter?) | Nein, ich habe schon drei. (No, I have three already) |
| 3. Du bist nicht traurig. | Nein, ich bin traurig. (No, I am not sad) |
Similarity Between Ja, Doch & Nein
The modal particles ja, doch and nein are used in dialogues to respond to tag questions. While ja and doch make a positive reply, nein on the other hand is negative.
Difference Between Doch, Ja & Nein
Literally, ja means “yes”, nein means “no” while doch could mean “yes or of course” in English with regards to them being a response to tag questions.
Apart from the fact that ja shows a polite affirmation or agreement to a tag question without leaving any room for doubt, it can likewise Intensifies a statement or emphasizes that the listener is already aware of the matter at hand.
Doch is a defensive or an irritable „yes“ which shows disagreement to someone else’s idea, opinion or question. It functions as a counter-negative response to a question that has either a negative article or a negative particle without having to say “Nein”.
Using nein on the other hand shows a blatant rejection, refusal or disagreement. It carries more weight than doch. One keen difference between doch and nein is that when doch is used, the negated noun or its pronoun is usually mentioned in the response whereas for nein it is not. Instead, one’s preference is rather mentioned. See the comparison below.
| Particle | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Ja | isst sie gerne Äpfel? | ja, sie isst sie gerne. |
| Doch | isst sie keinen Äpfel? | doch, sie isst sie gerne. |
| Nein | isst sie gerne Äpfel | Nein, sie isst lieber Bananen. |