Wie antwortet man auf « Du kommst nicht mit? » wenn man doch mitkommt?

Question

Accepted Answer

Doch!. The correct answer is "Doch!" because in German, "doch" is used to contradict a negative statement or question. When someone says "Du kommst nicht mit?" (You're not coming along?), responding "Doch!" means "Yes, I am!"  -  contradicting the negative assumption.

"Ja!" would be the response to a positive question ("Kommst du mit?"  -  Are you coming?). In German, responding "Ja" to a negative question would confusingly agree with the negation, implying you are indeed not coming. "Nein!" means "no" and would confirm the negative assumption that you are not coming. "Nicht!" is a negation word but not a standalone response to questions.

The word "doch" is uniquely German and has no exact English equivalent, making it a frequently tested item on the CLEP German Level 1 exam. Beyond contradicting negatives, "doch" serves as a modal particle adding emphasis or emotion: "Komm doch!" (Come on!/Do come!), "Das ist doch klar!" (That's obvious, isn't it!). Understanding "doch" demonstrates deeper comprehension of German communication patterns.

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