Agreement and disagreement can be a confusing thing when learning English. Unlike other languages, such as Korean or Japanese, there are some situations in English where you can agree or disagree by using both yes or no. This is usually when the question is negative.

Here are some examples.

A: “You didn’t get my message?”

B: “No, I didn’t get your message.”

            Or

B: “Yes, I didn’t get your message”

Both of these responses make sense in English! Both of these mean that person B did not get the message from person A.

Here is another.

A: “You don’t like Chocolate?”

B: “Yes, I don’t like chocolate.”

            Or

B: “No, I don’t like chocolate.”

Both of these answers mean that person B does not like chocolate.

Yes and no can be confusing in English. My advice is that anytime you are unsure about which one to use, you should just add a little more explanation to make sure the person you are talking with understands you.

This is just one of the many interesting differences between English and other languages. If you would like to compare and contrast other differences in culture or language give my Compare and Contrast Lesson a try! New Students get 50% off!

-Becca