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Sentence-final よ

Angel Valis

黒川
15 Jul 2010
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Okay, I was trying to type up some review sheets covering everything I've learned thus far. However, when I got to sentence-final よ I realized I still don't really understand how to use it.

For the most part, it seems to me a sort of analogue to the exclamation point (and this is usually how I use it when I actually use it). However, it seems to also be used in situations that an exclamation point wouldn't fit into.

My book gives it a rough translation of "you know" or "I'm telling you", but this really doesn't help much.

Any help you all can provide to help me understand this is very much appreciated.
よろしくおねがいします
 
Basically, よ shows that the words the speaker is saying is aimed at the listener/addressee, as in "I'm telling you" in your book.

Indeed, the sentence final particles would be extremely tough to grasp for non-native learners. An old saying 習うより慣れろ(Practice makes perfect) might fit here. 😅
 
Are there certain settings when it is more appropriate to use? The, "I'm telling you" translation seems to make it sound like you could end every sentence with it, but I don't see it that often. Is it mainly used just when you want to emphasize something?

よ is so far, the only sentence-final particle I have problems with (though the only others I've learned thus far are ね and なあ).
 
OK, I'll list the examples of ね, な, よ. See the difference to the ones in parentheses.


「今日も暑いね(え)」「うん、暑いね(え)」
( 「今日も暑い」「今日も暑いな(あ)」「今日も暑いよ 」「うん、暑い」「うん、暑いな(あ)」「うん、暑い よ」)

この本はあなたのですね[with rising intonation]
(この本はあなたのです この本はあなたのですね[with falling intonation] この本はあなたのですな[with falling intonation] この本はあなたのですよ)

それは間違ってますね[with falling intonation]
(それは間違ってます それは間違ってますね[with rising intonation] それは間違ってますな それは間違ってますよ)

今度教えてくださいね
(今度教えてください 今度教えてくださいな 今度教 えてくださいよ)

明日も晴れるのかね[with rising intonation]
(明日も晴れるのかねえ[with falling intonation] 明日も晴れるのかな 明日も晴れるのかよ[with falling intonation])

明日晴れますよね[with rising intonation]
(明日晴れますね[with falling intonation] 明日晴れますな 明日晴れますよ)

そっちへ行くな!
(そっちへ行きな 多分そっちへ行くなあ)

教えてくれるんだろうな[with rising intonation]
(教えてくれるんだろうな(あ)[with falling intonation])

教えてくれよな(教えてくれよ)

教えてくださいな(教えてくださいよ)
 
Angel Valis said:
よ is so far, the only sentence-final particle I have problems with (though the only others I've learned thus far are ね and なあ).

Oh, so not ぜ, ぞ, わ, や, わい, かい, or だい? Although really the last two are more like question particles.

But anyway, よ is used when you want to say something you think the listener doesn't know, and has a sense that you're giving your opinion attached to it. For instance, let's say you just came from outside, where it's raining. You see your buddy, 田中, about to head outside without an umbrella. You then say to him, 雨が降ってるよ ("It's raining, you know."). Think about it like that, and pay attention to its uses when you come across them, and I'm sure you'll get a more nuanced idea of how it's used and what it means.

[Edit] I'm now 0-2. But hey, even Ichiro has bad days.
 
Thank you both so much for helping me. I really appreciate it. :)

Glenn-san, what you said makes a lot of sense and I feel kinda silly now.

Toritoribe-san...thank you so much for all the effort typing all that out for me, but I must admit I'm a bit confused about the purpose. I understand what all the sentences mean, both with and without the particles, but I guess I just don't understand what they are supposed to mean as a lesson. I'm SO sorry, and feel bad for not understanding. I almost feel like dogeza is appropriate. :sorry:
 
Oh, if you can understand the difference in my examples (especially regarding ね and な), it can be said that you almost mastered them. ;)
The gist (meaning) of the sentence is rarely changed without よ (except よな, よね, かよ). That's the biggest difference between よ and な/ね.
 
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