Sentence endings: ね・よ
… ね／… よ
ね = “isn't it?”, you share a view. よ = “you know”, you bring information. よね = you assert and check.
In short
ね looks for the other person's agreement (“isn't it?”, “right?”). よ brings information the other person doesn't know (“you know”, “I'm telling you”). They make Japanese sound lively and natural.
- いい 天気ですね。ii tenki desu neNice weather, isn't it?
- あの 店は 安いですよ。ano mise wa yasui desu yoThat shop is cheap, you know.
- おいしいですね。oishii desu neIt's good, isn't it?
The basics
ね and よ go at the very end of the sentence, after です or after the verb. They don't change the meaning of the words, but the relationship with the person you're talking to. Without them, spoken Japanese sounds curt, almost robotic.
ね: looking for agreement
ね assumes the other person thinks like you, or checks that they do. It's the “isn't it?”, “don't you think?” or “right?” of English. It's used constantly to build rapport: talking about the weather, reacting to a dish, confirming an appointment.
- いい てんきですね。ii tenki desu neNice weather, isn't it?
- おいしいですね。oishii desu neIt's good, isn't it?
- あしたは 九時ですね。ashita wa ku-ji desu neTomorrow is at nine, right?
よ: bringing information
よ signals that you're telling the other person something they don't know yet: “you know”, “just so you know”. It makes the sentence more assertive, sometimes insistent.
- あの みせは やすいですよ。ano mise wa yasui desu yoThat shop is cheap, you know.
- もう 八時ですよ。mō hachi-ji desu yoIt's already eight o'clock, just so you know.
よね: both at once
よね combines the two: you assert something while asking for confirmation. Always in that order, never “ねよ”.
- あした やすみですよね。ashita yasumi desu yo neTomorrow is a day off, right?
Common mistakes
- Overusing よ with a superior: it can sound like you're lecturing them. ね is softer.
- Using ね when the other person can't agree because they don't know: “わたしの なまえは マリーですね” is odd, you say マリーです.
- Reversing the order: it's よね, never ねよ.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Chiyoda Line (First words) of the Tokyo subway.