>>10103122There’s a very useful phrase in Japanese that goes: “so desu ne” (“so dess nay“), as in the following conversation between a Boss (A) and a Worker (B). This phrase is something of a chameleon in terms of meaning. To see just how flexible it is, click each “so desu ne” to listen, reading the “translation” in parentheses. (Audio player opens in new tab.)
SO DESU NE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
A. Come in, come in. It’s a little cool today, isn’t it?
B. So desu ne! (Yes, it is a bit.)
A. Looking at the forecast I expected a bit of sun today.
B. So desu ne. (Yes, guess I did too.)
A. Pull up a chair. There’s one over there.
B. So desu ne. (Oh, so there is.)
A. Now, how are the March sales figures so far?
B. So desu ne. (Hmm, yes, well, erm …)
A. What? You mean this is it?
B. So desu ne. (I’m afraid so.)
A. We’d done a lot better last year at the same point in time.
B. So desu ne. (Yes, I know.)
A. What do you think’s the problem?
B. So desu ne. (It’s got me beat.)
A. Well, That’s it for now then. Forward me that mail you said you got from HKL, won’t you.
B. So desu ne. (Yep, sure thing.)
A. See you at lunch then.
B. So desu ne. (You bet.)
Coincidentally, so means much the same as “so” in English. That is to say, “in such a way.” And desu is the polite form of the marker da, which indicates existence or being. Then, ne is a conversational marker that corresponds to the English “aren’t I/you/they, isn’t he/she/it” added to the end of a sentence to invite agreement.
But, the many, varied meanings of “so desu ne” illustrated above depend almost entirely on context and tone of voice. The phrase can be used for anything from outright approbation to considerable doubt. A parallel in English is the word “okay,” which also radically changes in meaning depending on intonation and context.
