Image by Oberazzi found in Flickr.com
When we speak in our native language, we tend to have a better variety of ways to answer simple yes or no questions. In English, you can use sure, of course, I’d love to, etc. to express yes and absolutely no, no way, I’d rather die, etc. to say no. These varieties help us get across that our answer is not simple a yes or a no; these add a degree of approval or negation. Dutch is no different in this regard. You can answer questions with simple ja or nee, but these simple versions are just that: simple.
Ja, ja, ja
For a reinforced yes or a versterkte ja, there are several options. If someone asks you Ben je blij? after your team has won a championship, you can answer Nou en of! or Heel erg blij! to show your excitement.
If it is a cold day out, and, as your cheeks are turning red and your breath is icy, someone asks you Hoe koud is het? you can certainly answer with Verschrikkelijk koud! which is something like terribly cold.
If the situation is opposite, you are at a beach, and the temperatures are just too warm for comfort and someone asks Is het warm? you can answer them with Ontzettend warm! which is similar to the previous one: terribly or tremendously warm.
In the Netherlands, there are train areas that are considered silent areas. These are mostly for people that want to read or work or maybe just don’t want to hear a lot of talking. It has happened to me that I go into these areas by mistake and the silence can be a huge contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city. If someone asks me Was het stil in de trein?, I can surely answer Ja, hartstikke stil! which is something like awfully silent.
A more common way to say yes, one that I’ve often heard used is a simple Jawel which is like surely yes. This is the most common “yes” and one that everyone I’ve met uses instead of saying ja. Every time I’ve learned a language, I’ve tried to quickly learn a couple of words or phrases that move me from the language learner to the fluent speaker and I would say jawel is one of those words for Dutch. It rolls off the tongue nicely and fits with all questions that demand a yes answer.
Nee, nee, nee
For no answers, I haven’t ran into as many variations, but the following three get the job done. The three give the idea that the nee is final! No question about it. These are Helemaal niet!, Absoluut niet!, and Totaal niet! with the emphasis on the first syllable.
If someone were to ask me now if Dutch is a hard language to learn, my answer would certainly be Totaal niet! because I am quickly learning it and finding the simplicity in its grammar rules. When people ask me if I like drops, that licorice candy that many Dutch people love, my answer is a sure and loud Helemaal niet! because even the memory of its taste makes me feel yukky. Lastly, as I am asked if I think Dutch food is better than Mexican food, my answer will always be Absoluut niet! for the simple reason that Mexican food tastes like home to me and will never be equaled (but I will clarify that I do like Dutch food).
So, as you practice your Dutch, make sure you add these phrases to your answers. They will start becoming automatic responses soon and you will give your conversation more feeling!
Useful phrases:
For yes:
Jawel!
Nou en of!
Heel erg!
Ja, hartstikke _____!
Ontzettend _______!
Vreselijk _______!
Verschrikkelijk _____!
For no:
Helemaal niet!
Absoluut niet!
Totaal niet!
Comments:
Peter Simon:
Hello Karoly, nice ideas, but in practice, I’ve never ever encountered a nation so besotted with repeating their equivalent of ‘yes’ as the Dutch. I find this compulsion to agree so funny at times that I sometimes count how many times they say ‘ja’. A couple of years ago when I was still studying Dutch in class, I found that our teacher said ‘ja’ 28 times a minute. I count comparable numbers with other speakers too, and when we are in the mood, my Dutch friend (a very nice and funny guy) acts out conversations with me only using repetitions of this word – with gestures, it’s completely enough to say ‘ja’ a few dozen times and you’ll know what you’re talking about.
As to the other alternatives, I almost never hear them, except for ‘Vreselijk’. Most of those words are used in normal conversation, not as answers. Some friends have the habit of using one or the other simply emphasizing their enthusiasm about something they talk about, like in ‘Het was het ontzettend leuk.’
Karoly G Molina:
@Peter Simon Peter, I’ve been keeping my ear out for what you mentioned, and yes, I hear a lot of “ja” but I also here a lot of “jawel.” Its true that the rest are not as common, but I think it is still important to learn them (I can’t help it…the language teacher in me always comes out!). Thank you for your comment! I will continue to observe this 🙂
indra setiawan:
Karoli,, its help me a lot to learn about dutch. Ik ben indonesie maar ik houd van nederland ook. Dank je wel
Karoly G Molina:
@indra setiawan Indra, ik ben blij dat ik jou kan helpen!
Ingrid:
How about inderdaad for ja, or zeker and ik moet er niet aan denken for nee, or tuurlijk
for ja.
Annette:
Interestingly, the constant insertion of ‘ja’ in a sentence is a habit that started after I left the NL 34 years ago.
It is an affirmation of what a person is saying more than the true meaning ‘yes’.
It is what we call in the NL a “stop woord”, similar to “ehhh”, so used for pause or to collect one’s thoughts.
Other than that it is more common to answer with “ja, hoor” of “nee, hoor” or “ja, absoluut” and “nee, absoluut niet” which is not as abrupt as plain ja and nee.