jo
Jo (Yes After a Negative Question)
In Danish, you cannot use ja to answer 'yes' to a negative question. Instead, you must use jo. It functions like the German 'doch' or French 'si'.
How It Works
Danish makes a grammatical distinction between affirming a positive statement and contradicting a negative one.
1. The Basic Rule
If a question is positive, use ja:
Taler du dansk? (Do you speak Danish?) → Ja.
If a question contains a negation like ikke (not), use jo to mean 'yes':
Taler du ikke dansk? (Don't you speak Danish?) → Jo! (Yes, I do!)
2. Contradicting Statements
Jo is also required when someone makes a negative statement that you disagree with:
Person A: Du har ikke gjort rent. (You haven't cleaned.)
Person B: Jo, det har jeg! (Yes, I have!)
3. Pronunciation Note
When used as an answer, jo is stressed and pronounced with a long 'o' sound. This distinguishes it from the unstressed modal particle jo, which means 'as you know' or 'after all'.
Examples (4)
- Har du ikke spist endnu? Jo, jeg har lige spist.
Haven't you eaten yet? Yes, I just ate.
Word by Word: Have you not eaten yet? Jo, I have just eaten.
Because the question contains 'ikke' (not), 'jo' is used to affirm that the speaker has indeed eaten.
- Kan du aldrig finde vej? Jo, jeg kan!
Can you never find your way? Yes, I can!
Word by Word: Can you never find way? Jo, I can!
'Jo' contradicts the negative word 'aldrig' (never).
- Er der ingen mælk tilbage? Jo, der står en i køleskabet.
Is there no milk left? Yes, there is one in the fridge.
Word by Word: Is there no milk back? Jo, there stands one in fridge-the.
'Jo' is used here because the question uses 'ingen' (no/none).
- Du vil ikke med i biografen, vel? Jo, det vil jeg gerne!
You don't want to go to the cinema, right? Yes, I'd love to!
Word by Word: You will not with in cinema-the, right? Jo, that will I gladly!
Even with a tag question like 'vel', the negative 'ikke' in the main clause triggers 'jo'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'ja' to answer a negative question.
Har du ikke en bil? Ja, det har jeg.Har du ikke en bil? Jo, det har jeg.Using 'ja' to contradict a negative sounds unnatural to Danes. 'Jo' is the grammatically required response to overturn the 'ikke'.
Using 'jo' when you mean you are not hungry.
Different MeaningEr du ikke sulten? Jo.Er du ikke sulten? Nej.'Jo' answers a negative question with a positive: it means 'Yes, I am hungry.' To agree with the negative (you are NOT hungry), say 'nej'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'jo' correctly, you must first understand how basic yes/no questions work and how to identify a negative question containing 'ikke'.
Related Patterns
- ikkeNegation with Ikke
The presence of 'ikke' in a question is the most common trigger for using 'jo' as an answer.
Level 1 - jo (modalpartikel)Modal Particle Jo
A related but unstressed particle used within sentences to mean 'as you know'.
Level 3 - eller hvad?Tag Question (Ikke?/vel?/eller Hvad?)
Used in tag questions which often involve negative premises requiring a 'jo' response.
Level 2 - jo ... joThe More ... the More (Jo ... Jo)
A comparative construction meaning 'the more... the more...', using the same word in a different way.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice jo in Bubblegum
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