yo or na at the end of sentences?

[yi ann]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and I think it's great!
I was wondering if anyone could help explain when it's appropriate to use yo instead of na or vice versa at the end of a sentence...
e.g. if i want to say "i cannot wait!" should i say "まつことができないよ！" or "まつことができないな" ?
looking forward to your replies!

 

[nice gaijin]

"matsu koto ga dekinai" seems a bit like "I'm incapable of waiting." I think you would be better off with something like "tanoshimi ni shiteiru" for "I'm looking forward to it"

in such a case, "na" is something you would use if your exclamation is something like you would wonder aloud to yourself, and "yo" is a more emphatic particle, like "I assure you!"

 

[yi ann]

thanks for your reply n your suggestions!

>I think you would be better off with something like "tanoshimi ni shiteiru" for "I'm looking forward to it"

what does shiteiru mean?

also i do kind of want to say that i am incapable of waiting does "matsu koto ga dekinai" sound strange nevertheless?

ah, so the impression i get is that if i were to use "na" i would be expressing mild excitement but if i were to use "yo" it would be more like "i assure you,i cannot wait any longer!!" LOL

 

[nice gaijin]

thanks for your reply n your suggestions!
>I think you would be better off with something like "tanoshimi ni shiteiru" for "I'm looking forward to it"
what does shiteiru mean?

it's the present continuous conjugation of "suru," to do. "tanoshimi ni shiteiru" is a set phrase for "looking forward to it."

also i do kind of want to say that i am incapable of waiting does "matsu koto ga dekinai" sound strange nevertheless?

it's understandable, but in such a case I would probably say something like "gaman dekinai" (gaman means patience, although this might have a slightly negative connotation).

ah, so the impression i get is that if i were to use "na" i would be expressing mild excitement but if i were to use "yo" it would be more like "i assure you,i cannot wait any longer!!" LOL

Simply put

 

[Elizabeth]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and I think it's great!
I was wondering if anyone could help explain when it's appropriate to use yo instead of na or vice versa at the end of a sentence...
e.g. if i want to say "i cannot wait!" should i say "まつことができないよ！" or "まつことができないな" ?
looking forward to your replies!

What kind of wait are you talking about ? Waiting to do something already planned ? Waiting for an event or activity ? An answer ? Standing in line ?

there's possibly a different expression for each of these, so context is, um, like ....really essential.


な or よ can both emphasize a statement or emotion, etc. but I have no idea what you're really trying to say, so....

 

[Toritoribe]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and I think it's great!
I was wondering if anyone could help explain when it's appropriate to use yo instead of na or vice versa at the end of a sentence...
e.g. if i want to say "i cannot wait!" should i say "まつことができないよ！" or "まつことができないな" ?
looking forward to your replies!
looking forward to your replies!

You can also say 待[ま]ちきれない for "I'm looking forward to it." きる/切る is the the auxiliary verb to mean "to complete to do/to do completely." 待つことができない is rather written word, so it's not suitable for colloquial expressions such like よ/な.

The sentence final particles よ and な are basically not interchangeable. The nuance/meaning is different in most cases, as nice gaijin-san explained.

 

[Elizabeth]

You can also say 待[ま]ちきれない for "I'm looking forward to it." きる/切る is the the auxiliary verb to mean "to complete to do/to do completely." 待つことができない is rather written word, so it's not suitable for colloquial expressions such like よ/な.
The sentence fainal particles よ and な are basically not interchangeable. The nuance/meaning is different in most cases, as nice gaijin-san explained.

Because I don't get the context either, some random others that came to mind right away :

楽しみに(お)待ちしております

待ち遠し(待ちかねている, 待ち遠しくて仕方ない, 待ちどおしくてたまらない etc) (Impatient for a planned event -- vacation, reunion, the next meal )

速く + verb + たい (Want to do quickly, can't wait for...)