Unit 2: Yes, No, What? (네, 아니요, 네?)

Welcome to the second unit of Easy Korean! Now that you know how to say hello and thank you, let’s learn the two most essential words in any language: "Yes" and "No." In Korean, these words carry a slightly different meaning than they do in English.

1. 네 (Yes) and 아니요 (No)

In English, "Yes" expresses your own truth ("Yes, I did it" or "Yes, that is the case"). In Korean, 네 (ne) and 아니요 (a-ni-yo) are used to express your agreement or disagreement with what the other person just said.

• 네 [ne] = I agree with what you said. / That is right. / Yes.
• 아니요 [a-ni-yo] = I disagree with what you said. / That is not right. / No.

Example Scenario 1

Person A: You don't like coffee? Person B: 네 (ne). (Meaning: I agree with you. I don't like coffee.) (In English, you might say "No, I don't." But in Korean, you are agreeing with the speaker's statement, so you say "Yes, what you said is correct.")

Example Scenario 2

Person A: Do you like coffee? Person B: 아니요 (a-ni-yo). (Meaning: I disagree. I don't like coffee.)

2. 맞아요 (That's right)

Because 네 can also just mean "I hear you," "Ah-ha," or "I see," Koreans often add the expression 맞아요 [ma-ja-yo] to strongly confirm that the other person is correct.

• 맞아요 [ma-ja-yo] = That is right. / You are correct.

Example: Person A: Are you a student? Person B: 네, 맞아요. (Yes, that's right.)

3. 네? (Pardon?)

The word 네 is extremely versatile. By simply changing your intonation to a question (rising tone), you can use it to ask "What did you say?", "Pardon?", or "I'm sorry?"

• 네? [ne?] = Pardon me? / What? / I didn't hear you.

It can also express surprise, like "Really?!"

Summary

• 네 [ne] = Yes / I agree / I see / Got it.
• 아니요 [a-ni-yo] = No / I disagree.
• 맞아요 [ma-ja-yo] = That's right.
• 네? [ne?] = Pardon? / What?

Practice using these words to agree or disagree with statements in your daily life!