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In Swedish we have the wonderful"nja". "Ja" is yes. "Nej" is no. "Nja" is neither. It's used to express uncertainty or that it's not as simple as yes or no.
by Agentlien 6y ago
In Swedish we have the wonderful"nja".
"Ja" is yes.
"Nej" is no.
"Nja" is neither. It's used to express uncertainty or that it's not as simple as yes or no.
- lippel82 6y agoNice, we have Jein in German, which is a Portmanteau of Ja and Nein (yes and no).
- codetrotter 6y agoYeah same in Norway. For example if someone asks me if I want to go somewhere with them at a specific time, and I would like to go with them but I already plan to do something else at that time, then I would say “nja” and while I say that think out an alternative suggestion for when we might go. Another example is if I talk with someone and they say something that I agree with but then say something I disagree with. Then I would say “nja”. In this case it would be similar to English where you might say “yes and no”. And then state what I agree with and what I don’t agree with and why.
- Agentlien 6y agoI sometimes use it at work when asked if something can be done and the answer is yes but it's unlikely to be worth the effort
- Fnoord 6y agoI would say /care, I don't care, either way, both fine with me, or "its nuanced" or "its complicated". The latter two invite curiosity and discussion, whereas the former one and its, ehh.., relatives (for lack of a better word) are more firm in the carelessness aspect therefore being more passive from my part. You can also say no and nod yes, as Torvalds famously did in response to a question concerning NSA.