네만 말해도 통하는 한국어 스킷

Does “네” always mean “yes” in Korean?

네 is taught as “yes,” but it works more like “that’s right” or “I hear you.” Koreans say it constantly while listening, just to show they’re following, so a string of 네 does not mean agreement. And with a negative question it flips: asked 안 먹어요? (“aren’t you eating?”), 네 means “right, I’m not.” Said with a rising tone, 네? means “sorry, what?”

The skit milks this. A Korean speaker fires questions at someone who answers 네 to all of them: 한국말 할 줄 알아요? (Can you speak Korean?) 네. 이름이 뭐예요? (What’s your name?) 네. Then comes a confused 네? By the end all those 네 have turned into a commitment: 아 네네네 그래요 약속했어요 (“oh yes yes yes, all right, it’s a promise”). The safe habit with negative questions is to add the verb: 네, 안 먹어요.