Old thread - "Don't you have school today?"

[gameless]

Hello,

on Google I found this thread (unfortunately it's closed):
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/75793-Negative-questions-and-tag-questions

The last post in there tells that the Conversation "Don't you have school today?" - "Yes, I do." means that the answering person has no school today. But most of the other threads tell that "Yes, I do" means there is school?

 

[Tdol]

Old threads get closed when no one has posted in them for a while. I would ignore that post and go with the other answers.

The thread has been re-opened and I have posted in it.

 

[ChinaDan]

The last post in there tells that the Conversation "Don't you have school today?" - "Yes, I do." means that the answering person has no school today. But most of the other threads tell that "Yes, I do" means there is school?

This is an issue I deal with regularly with my Chinese students and colleagues alike. A frequent example would be that they've come to class without eating breakfast, and complain they are hungry...

Me: "You had breakfast this morning, right?"
Student: "No, I didn't".
Me: "You didn't eat anything?"
Student: "Yes".

Apparently, in Chinese (and I imagine this is true of other languages), you answer to agree or disagree with the speaker, not with the fact at hand. Since when I ask them, "You didn't eat anything?", they want to agree with me, because I am right, so they say, "Yes".

So I explain it this way. When you answer, even if you only want to say, "yes" or "no", in your mind, say the whole answer as if you were just telling me something. Then, pick "yes" or "no" to agree with the statement.

Yes, I did eat breakfast. "Did" is affirmative, so you must say "yes" to agree with that.
No, I did not eat breakfast. "Did not" is negative, so you must say "no" to agree with that.

Hopefully, in the context I gave, when I ask, "You didn't eat anything?", they will now think to themselves, "I did not eat anything", realize that "did not" is negative, and then actually say, "No", when they answer me.

 

[Tdol]

Come and go can also cause trouble with speakers of some Asian languages.

 

[gameless]

Old threads get closed when no one has posted in them for a while. I would ignore that post and go with the other answers.

The thread has been re-opened and I have posted in it.

Thank you, though it is still closed for me, somehow.

Is this correct?
Don't you have school today? / You don't have school today?
Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

 

[Matthew Wai]

'Yes, I do' = 'Yes, I do have school today.'
'No, I don't' = 'No, I don't have school today.'

Apparently, in Chinese (and I imagine this is true of other languages), you answer to agree or disagree with the speaker, not with the fact at hand.

This Chinese guy confirms this.

 

[jutfrank]

The last post in there tells that the Conversation "Don't you have school today?" - "Yes, I do." means that the answering person has no school today. But most of the other threads tell that "Yes, I do" means there is school?

I think the lesson is: only listen to teachers and native speakers.

 

[gameless]

I think the signatures with "I am not a teacher" are a very good idea.

Somehow only my question hasn't been answered.
Are both examples correct?

1. example:
You don't have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

2. example:
Don't you have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

 

[ChinaDan]

I think the signatures with "I am not a teacher" are a very good idea.

Somehow only my question hasn't been answered.
Are both examples correct?

1. example:
You don't have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

2. example:
Don't you have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

Both are correct.

 

[Tdol]

Thank you, though it is still closed for me, somehow.

It shouldn't be now. Sorry for that.

 

[gameless]

You were given the answer in posts 3 and 6.

Yes, I saw it, and I am thankful for that, But after all this confusion in the other thread, I would really welcome an answer from a native teacher, Thank you in advance.

Are both examples correct?

1. example:
You don't have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

2. example:
Don't you have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

 

[Matthew Wai]

Please see post #10, which was written by a native English teacher.
The username 'ChinaDan' does not denote that the member is Chinese.

 

[gameless]

Ah Okay, thank you. But I think my question is a bit different as the answers in Post #3 and #6. It may seem clear to you, but it isn't for me. So can anyone still answer me? I mean a small answer to the question is even less work then complaining and more help.

Are both examples correct?

1. example:
You don't have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

2. example:
Don't you have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

 

[gameless]

Thank you very much. I know that "You don't have school today?" is not a good English, but I often hear it in movies or forums. It seems to be mostly youth slang. Like in my language, they seem to speak a bad language.

So how would youth people answer the question "You don't have school today?"?
Is my example correct?
You don't have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

 

[Matthew Wai]

Having read the following, I guess the OP wants a young person to answer it.

So how would youth people answer the question "You don't have school today?"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Oooh, young people. I used to be one of those. I don't know if they still make them though. I haven't seen one for a while. ;-)

 

[emsr2d2]

You don't seem to be unhappy about the thought that you no longer see young people?
Yes, I'm not.

Please refrain from commenting on the form of the question, will/won't you?
OK, yes, I won't.

 

[gameless]

The only answer given to me was that the question itself isn't not a very good English. But somehow young people use this form of question sometimes, so I want to understand it. And no one answered if my example is correct. And for a non-native speaker it's very hard to understand irony. I know you don't mean it that way, but sometimes it's confusing what's irony and what's correct.

So is my example correct?
You don't have school today?
-Yes, I do. (means I have school today)
-No, I don't. (means I don't have school today)

 

[Barb_D]

For the fifth or sixth time, the responses given are correct.
Thread closed.