Negative Questions in English. Are you making mistakes?

[@uncleraymund1754]

I spent more or less 6 hours searching for this type of video! At last such a relief!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Uncle Raymund. we're so glad you found it useful. thanks for watching.

[@juliocesarlimadesousa9109]

Excellent video lesson. Congratulations, Jay and Vicki!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thank you Julio!

[@shewayegurmessa8780]

Excellent and unique way of teaching, thanks!!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

We're really glad you find it worthwhile, Daniel. Thanks for letting us know and thanks for watching.

[@lucianacosta3904]

I love you, Jay and Vicki !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Luciana. :-)

[@rosamro]

I study English and I'm really enjoying this way of teaching. Great idea!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you like it Rosa and nice to meet you!

[@المعتصمالجرعي-ب7ج]

woow it's a great moment to listen to the best teacher. I am Arabian person I learn English quickly because I watch this channel. I hope that u speak American accent.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hello and welcome. So glad you like the channel. Jay is American and I (Vicki) am British, so you'll hear both accents here.

[@cupcake.012]

Hi! Fascinating videos! Thank you both of you! :).

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bbffilm2514]

That was great . You always make complicated points easy for me . and the classic movies are wonderful. thank you so much.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you like it Behrouz. Thanks for writing.

[@sisixiao4947]

Haha, very informative and funny. Didn't expect this video to be so entertaining.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Sisi! :-)

[@Leo007619]

7:00 Could you please help me? Do *"Don't* you *ever* fill it up?" and *"Do* you *never* fill it up?" mean the same thing or is there some difference in meaning between them?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

@Leo007619. that's a really interesting question. The mean the same thing but "Don't you ever fill it up?" is accusatory - that is, it is blaming someone for failing to do the job. Whereas "Do you never fill it it up" is less accusatory or less angry, but still suggests someone is doing the job. However, the structure of "Do you never fill it up..." is a bit odd certainly for American English speakers. If my son regularly borrowed my car and never returned it with a full tank of gasoline, i might say "Don't you ever fill it up?" but I wouldn't say "Do you never...". - Jay

[@benalexender3046]

thanks, peace and love from Egypt I love UK

[@GUGUNASASA]

this video make it easy to understand. Thanks so much.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad it was helpful, gugun. Thanks for watching. :-)

[@LaMansionDelIngles]

Wonderful, clear explanations. Thanks for posting.

[@bridgetmazikana9681]

Wow impressive! Excellent work

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's so kind of you to say, bridget. Thank you.

[@steffis4480]

Great video! These short sketches with Kathy always make me laugh ♥ Jay seems like he has to bear a lot at work :D Is it ok to use negative questions, when making a suggestion like: A: "Since the meeting I've got bad headaches." B: "Why don't you go home and take a nap?" or: "Why don't you go outside a bit? It's sunny and warm today." (--> this one also fits in the expected-thing-didn't-happen-category, isn't it? ^///^) Please enjoy your weekend you two ♥

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Steffi. Yes, 'Why don't you...?' is a a very common way of making a suggestion and it would fit perfectly in your examples. And yes, it's a negative question. I guess the implication is it's surprising that you aren't already doing or planning to do this. But in these cases it also shows sympathy and concern for the person you're talking to.

[@steffis4480]

Aaah that makes sense 😍 Thank you so much for your detailed and helpful explanations 💕

[@tomassanchez6010]

Vicki is teaching what British people love doing! Being polite.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ha! Yes, this video has a lot about politeness in it.

[@daliyamadyarova8481]

💜 thank you !!!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

You're welcome!

[@uncleraymund1754]

Excellent video!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thank you very much!

[@JohnDoe-dy4kf]

Thank you for a great job!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

You're welcome Sergey!

[@lkj2727]

Thx a lot with this video. I've been learning English for 20 years, but yes/no answering sometimes still confuses me. Especially when talking to Europeans in English. I have no idea about French, German or Italian language, but I feel like their yes/no answering way is different from English(not sure thou). Won't you help me get the idea how answer yes or no correctly on examples below? 1. Is there no overcapping here? The fact is there is NO overcapping, so I simply said "No." I was taught to forget about if the question is positive/negative, so I just focused on the fact if it is yes or no. But then other guys said like "Yes, there is no overcapping.", "Is there overcapping? No. / Is there no overcapping? Yes." things like that. Wasn't quite sure if they were native English speakers or Europeans, but anyway all but me asserted answering with "Yes" was correct. What is the correct way to answer to that question? 2. You don't have time, right? I think I know how to answer properly when asked, "Don't you have time?" - Yes, I have time. / No, I don't have time.(Let's just forget about answering in polite way) But then, some ppl would ask using "RIGHT" at the last of the sentence and it makes me confused how to answer it. It makes me feel like I have to say, for example, "Yeah, sorry. I gotta run." or "No, don't worry. I still have time." But still, I think it is one of the negative questions and I have to answer in the same way as; "No, sorry. I gotta run." or "Yeah, don't worry. I still have time." What is the correct way to answer in this situation? Thanks a lot in advance!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Great questions lkj2727! Vicki here. These are both examples where I'd want to avoid saying a simple yes or no and add information to make my answer clear. 1. I would have said no like you, but added more - No, there's no overcapping. I didn't mention it in the video but I have a personal theory that Americans might be more inclined to say 'yes' here than Brits. The different politeness style emphasizes agreement in the US. But this is just a hazy hypothesis at the moment and I'm still listening out for more examples. 2. Again, it's one of those examples where you'll hear both answers. The best advice I can give is add information to make your response clear. Hope this helps.

[@lkj2727]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos Thank you so much, Vicki! Your answer really helped me out understanding from more cultural and realistic view than just being obsessed with "grammar". I'm so happy I could make it clear which i have been questioning for so long thx to you! :D

[@tomjenkins8307]

A great video guys but I think one important thing worth clearing up are the Yes / No answers a bit more for the common use of negative questions. If I ask "Oh, don't you like olives?" a lot of learners don't know whether to confirm, i.e. "you're right, I don't like them" with yes or no and find it weird that "yes" means "You're wrong, I do indeed like them" :)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Yes. It depends on their first language so for example it's particularly confusing for Japanese or Russian learners who would answer the more logical way. I've written more about it on my teaching blog here: www.vickihollett.com/how-to-teach-negative-questions/

[@hodor2704]

Thank you so much for this great video :) my question is: Is there such a form like: are you not going? Or will you not come in? Or another form using not just before the verb or after the subject?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Alperen. Yes, both of you questions work. They're nice examples. For example, you might say 'Are you not going?" when someone who was supposed to have left has not. And if someone has been standing on your doorstep for a while, you might say 'Will you not come in?'

[@j.f.9558]

Great video lessons! Thank you.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Delighted you like it Chau Do. Thanks for writing.

[@Tranlohse]

very helpful lessons. Thank you Vicki and Jay!! and I've already subscribed your channel :)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Great to have you with us Tran. Thanks for writing.

[@dajalapeno8480]

Thanks for this video. I'm confused though, how would you answer uncontacted negative question? Eg. "Are you not going to do scuba diving next year?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi DaJalapeño. We'd answer it in the same way as we'd answer a contracted question. (Contracted questions are more common.)

[@سميرة-ط6ذ]

Wow i love the video and lot guys

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

caashsatil jannah, we are so pleased you found this video valuable.Thanks for writing to us and thanks for watching.

[@lucygarzon2854]

Many thanks for this video, it's very clear, and I am sure, that it will help me to improve my english's skills.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you like it Lucy. Thanks for writing!

[@patioxville]

The situations are very useful to understand the topic. Aren´t you the best teachers ? :)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad they're useful! And I don't know about the best but I think we're rather good. :-)

[@yiwenzhang5463]

hahhaha .I really into this video!!!!Thank you Jay and Vick!!Your guys are so funny!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you like it. Thanks for writing.

[@NhiPham-wu7od]

Thank you so much for your video! What is an informative clip! I have a question about the use of the negative questions. I have watched a video from another source and the teacher is British. In the video, it said we used negative questions to express opinions in a more polite way. For example, instead of saying "I think the wall would look better green. I ask: "Wouldn't it be nice to paint that wall green?" In your video, you said we could sound nagging if we used the negative question. If I use the same question from above, Wouldn't it be nice to paint that wall green? Am I sound a bit nagging? Like I am telling another person to paint the wall green. Thank you! I am living in the U.S right now. I was wondering if this video applies to U.S culture or British or both?

[@Cary0Princess]

what a great video! thank you so much!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you like it. Thanks for writing!

[@LinhAnhVIP]

you two are super humorous and this video's so adorable

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Delighted you like it. Thanks for watching!

[@bridgetmazikana9681]

I made sure to subscriber to your channel

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

We're so glad you've subscribed. Welcome to our Simple English Videos family. Keep in touch through the comments here. We'd love to hear more from you.

[@louisxvii2137]

negative questions = leading them towards your desired response...

[@imrankalandar4502]

wow it's a very useful lesson.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's great to hear Imran. Thanks for writing

[@raed2178]

Fabulous video. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you 👍

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thank you Ra'ed!

[@raed2178]

+Simple English Videos I was wondering if you have the whole script to this video because I want it. If so, please upload it here so I can keep it with me

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

We'll be publishing it shortly on our website Ra'ed - www.simpleenglishvideos.com. I hope to get it up there later tonight.

[@raed2178]

+Simple English Videos Thank you, Jay and Vicky 😀

[@saifsword6026]

Good job

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks

[@SlametRiyadi-lt2ej]

But what if negative question followed by a question tag, will it be different in the way to respond it?.For example : The food isn't delicious , is it? What should I say if I want to say that the food is delicious?

[@SlametRiyadi-lt2ej]

Wait, I'm not sure that thing above is also considered as negative question , though! It just that it buffles me too.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ha! Hi Slamet. You've had me sitting for a several minutes trying to come up with an example where I'd add a tag to a negative question and I can't think of one. I don't think we ever do it, but maybe our viewers will be able to think of one. :-)

[@tabishkhan9843]

great work.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks Tabish!

[@tabishkhan9843]

My pleasure!!!

[@rasimcetin26]

Hi Vick, I have a request for you.. "in annoying way" in this sentence Would you mind explaining to me use of in.. How can we use "in - at - on" in these types of sentences? Thank you very much in advance.. 🙏❤️

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Rasim. 'In' in this context is part of the phrase 'in a way'. You can add different adjectives like 'in an annoying way', 'in a strange way', in a clever way'. We'll try to make a video on in on and at soon.

[@rasimcetin26]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos All videos you two have made so far are useful, enjoyable, understandable and unique.. You're really unbelievable! You're legends! Never give up! There are a lot of things that we are going to learn from you! I look forward to next ones. Thank you for everything 🌼🌹🌻🌺🌸🐞

[@mollietai8946]

1) polite offers & invitations Won't you ... ? 2) surprise Be not - Aren't / Weren't you ... ? Isn't / Wasn't he ( she, it ) .... ? Do not - Don't / Didn't you ... ? Doesn't / didn't he ( she, it ) ... ? Have not - Haven't you ... ? Hasn't he ( she, it ) ... ?

[@lajdlajdlajd3536]

thank you. merci . شكرا

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Our pleasure!

[@ОксанаИванова-д3ц]

Could you tell me the name of a film what you used in your video?? ^^"

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

The names appear on the old movies we used - Delightfully Dangerous, Beat the Devi, 1953

[@ОксанаИванова-д3ц]

Simple English Videos Thank you very much!

[@MrFred5534]

it's great video i really love it.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you like it Fred, Thanks for writing!

[@KatiSvaby]

We use negative question when we want to be formal and politr. For example, won't you come in .we can answer yes and no. But not to be confusing it's better answer in stead yes, oh thanks,that's very kind of you We can usel when we were expecting something but it happened in other way and we are suprised. Why didn't give it to me? Haven't you finished it? When we are nagging, complaining aren't you dressed yet? Dont you ever fill it up? Can you do it faster?

[@cianshee8570]

That's very funny. Negative questions are very very rude in Chinese, there is not the slightest hint of courtesy.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much for sharing this Cian. Much appreciated. :-)

[@abinbinu896]

Didn't you come? , can we write like did you not come?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Abin. Let's use 'go' in this example. It's more common. "Didn't you go?" is one way of saying it and is less formal than "Did you not go?". The way most people would use "did you not go' would be express surprise and even anger. "Did you not go to school today you naughty boy?" It add emphasis to the question and is certainly a more formal way to ask the question. Take care and thanks for watching our video.

[@abinbinu896]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos thanks

[@birguldemir7749]

i love you two but this slippers oh noo....

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hello Birgul. Slippers? Did you mean scissors? Yes, Jay lost a tie in this video. :-)

[@eyyen8233]

I'm confused Why ppl say like this Aren't I good 🙄🙄

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Not sure I understand Vincent. Perhaps the answers in the video didn't work for you?

[@nelsong2012]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos Maybe he wants to ask why we don't use "Am not I" a good student? Or are we allowed to use this instead of "Aren't I " a good student? Thanks in advance!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ah, thanks @nelson! Vincent, we generally use negative questions when we're indicating we think something is surprising. Like: Don't you want some pizza? (I think you do). And we also use them when we're being polite like 'won't you sit down?' In your example it would mean 'do you think I'm not good, because I think I'm good'. Now @nelson has suggested that it might be 'aren't I' rather than 'Am I not' that's confusing you. I see what he means. I don't know why we do that, but we do! It's irregular. When we contract 'Am I not' we say 'Aren't I'. Hope this helps.

[@nelsong2012]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos Thanks a lot for shedding some light on this subject. Greetings from Brazil! :)

[@laradicarlo3453]

thank you very much ! great video!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

You are most welcome, Lara. Thanks for watching.