wen / saan

Answering Yes and No

Level 1

Wen. means “Yes”; Saan. means “No.” Presence questions also permit Adda. or Awan..

How It Works

For an ordinary positive truth question, wen affirms and saan denies the proposition. Either can be a complete conversational reply. A fuller negative answer uses the normal linked negative construction, including the appropriate pronoun when required.

Presence and existence questions can receive predicate-based replies. Adda states presence; awan states absence. Such replies directly identify the situation rather than relying entirely on a yes/no label. A full response may also change the person reference from the questioner's “you” to the respondent's “I.”

For a potentially ambiguous negative question, explicitly state the fact: Adda ni Rosa ditoy, “Rosa is here,” or Awan ni Rosa ditoy, “Rosa is not here.” Wen and saan do not acquire gender or number endings in these replies.

Examples (3)

  1. Nangina kadi ti libro? — Wen, nangina ti libro.

    Is the book expensive? — Yes, the book is expensive.

    Exchange: the full answer affirms the property.

  2. Dakkel kadi ti balay? — Saan, saan a dakkel ti balay.

    Is the house big? — No, the house is not big.

    Exchange: the full answer explicitly denies the property.

  3. Adda kadi ti makan? — Awan.

    Is there food? — There is none.

    Exchange: an absence predicate answers the existence question.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

wen / saanLevel 1Answering Yes and No

Learn This First

Wen affirms; saan denies. Expand the answer when its meaning could be unclear.

Words in This Pattern

wensaan