English Negative Questions

Question

English Negative Questions:

Question: Do you not like the food?

How would I response using yes or no?
Would yes mean I like it?
And no mean I don't like it?

P.s - I'm from America. :)

Thank you by the way!

Answer 1

Negative questions are more easily responded to in other languages because of a yes (affirming positive), yes (affirming positive in a negative question) and no (affirming negative).

 

Tu ne viens pas avec nous? (Are you not coming with us?)
Si, je viens.                        (Yes, I'm coming)

Non, je ne viens pas.           (No, I'm not coming)

 

However, in English, to avoid confusion and ambiguity, negative questions should be answered in the following ways.

 

"Did you not like the food?"

 

No, I liked the food!           (no, your assumption was wrong, I did like it)

No, I didn't like the food.     (no double negatives in English. This no reinforces that, you did not like the food)

Yes, I liked the food.           (yes, in fact I did like the food)

 

 

Yes, I didn't like the food. This answer is strange (stylistically) in English and should be avoided.

 

Explanation: The negative question, "Did you not like the food?" implies that the speaker believes their guest (whomever ate the food) did not like it.

Answer 2

Alright. Let's consider the opposite of the question you have asked, 

 

"Do you like the food?"

 

If you said yes, then you liked the food. If you said no, then you did not like the food. 

 

So, your question is the opposite of this and the answers will be the opposite as well:

 

"Do you not like the food?"

 

If you said yes, then you did not like the food. If you said no, then you liked the food. 

 

That's my analysis of the question anyway. Someone else may have a different take on it.