yes and no

English

Phrase

yes and no

1. An answer in reply to a yes-no question, indicating there is no simple "yes" or "no" answer

   Is she happy? — Yes and no, hard to say.

   Have you been to Paris? — Yes and no. I've been to the airport, but didn't get to see the city.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see yes,‎ and,‎ no.

   You can only use yes and no answers.

Translations

indicating there is no simple "yes" or "no" answer

• Arabic: نَعْم وَلَا (naʕm walā), بَلَى وَنَعْم (balā wanaʕm)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 既肯定又否定 (jì kěndìng yòu fǒudìng) (no exact equivalent exists)

• Dutch: ja en nee
• Esperanto: jes kaj ne
• Finnish: kyllä ja ei
• French: oui et non
• Galician: si e non
• German: jein (de), ja und nein
• Hungarian: igen is, nem is, igen is meg nem is, is-is
• Italian: nì (it)
• Japanese: そうとも言えるし、そうでないとも言える (sō to mo ieru shi, sō de nai to mo ieru) (no exact equivalent exists)
• Korean: 그렇기도 하고 아니기도 하고 (geureokido hago anigido hago) (no exact equivalent exists), 네니요 (neniyo) (nonstandard)
• Polish: i tak, i nie, tak i nie
• Portuguese: sim e não (pt)
• Russian: и да и нет (i da i net)
• Spanish: sí y no
• Swedish: både ja och nej, nja (sv)
• West Frisian: ja en nee

See also

• it is and it isn't

Anagrams

• anodynes