Yes no maybe in Russian: a weird word for No

Have you happened to hear a common Russian phrase «да нет, наверное»? In word-for-word translation it means Yes no maybe in Russian. Russians love using this common phrase as much as they like making fun of it. We can also ask each other ‘So which one do you actually mean?’ Well, the Russian common phrase «да нет, наверное» derives from «да нет».

It is one of the ways to say ‘no’ in Russian, but it is a soft ‘no’. How to say ‘yes’ in Russian check this one out. For example, someone asks about your one-year-old child ‘Can he speak?’ («Он говорит?») you say ‘Of course not’ («Конечно нет»). You are sure of it.

Sometimes it takes an Einstein to figure out what Russians are saying.

But when somebody asks you ‘Do you have a lot of money on you?’ («У тебя с собой много денег?») you are not sure what to say, because you would think ‘Depends on what you are going to do with it in the first place. Is it for buying an extra cappuccino or leather shoes?’ But still you don’t have 10 000 dollars on you. That’s when you use this Russian ‘soft no’ — «Да нет».

Of course you can’t say «да нет» in regards to facts in your life – they either happened (‘true’) or did not happen (‘not’). The common Russian phrase for ‘soft no’ «Да нет» can be used only when you share your thoughts and opinions.

And what does the Russian word for ‘maybe’ — «наверное» — do? Nothing in particular, it just shows that you are not sure in your ‘no’. If I ask you ‘Do you think you can handle the common Russian phrase «да нет, наверное»?’ what will you say? «Да нет, наверное»? 🙂 See for yourself: you understand it, but as it is still new to you, you are not sure you can use it at once. So you say «Да нет, наверное».

Ok, I hope this one helps! Feel free to ask questions in the comments section. You are welcome to subscribe to Speak Russian Like Russians so we won’t get lost on the Internet spaces!

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