英語のあいづち (Or why you should say “Yeah” more often!)

When I started learning Japanese, they taught us the importance of aizuchi in conversation. 

そうですか

へ～

そうなんですね

あ、本当！

うん

確かに！

There are a lot of aizuchi in Japanese. Have you ever studied aizuchi in English? I think if you’re only going to learn one aizuchi in English, it should be “yeah!”

Here’s an example of a simple conversation between friends:

＊和訳は私とDeepLのコラボなので間違いが入っていると思います。

A: I really like The Beatles, but I don’t like their early music as much.

私はビートルズがとても好きなのですが、初期の音楽はあまり好きではありません。

B: I think so too. Their later music is very interesting.

私もそう思います。彼らの後期の音楽はとても興味深いです。

A: I know. It’s very different from their early music. I think they looked cute when they were young, but their later music is more artistic. 

そうですね。初期の音楽とは全く違います。若いころの彼らはかわいかったですが、後の音楽はより芸術的だと思います。

B: Do you know “A Day in the Life?” That song gives me shivers.

"ア・デイ・イン・ザ・ライフ "を知っていますか？あの曲はゾクゾクします。

A: Yes. And “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” has good lyrics. I love it.

そうです。あと、"While My Guitar Gently Weeps "は歌詞がいいです。大好きです。

B: It makes me feel like I was born in the wrong generation. 

聴くと生まれてくる時代を間違えたような気がします。

I guess that was an interesting conversation, but it felt kind of like it was out of a textbook. What happens if we make it more exciting?

A: I really like The Beatles, but not their early stuff so much, you know?

ビートルズは好きですけど、初期の作品はちょっと好きではないんですね。

B: Yeah, definitely. Their later music gets really interesting.

ああ、そうですね。後期の音楽は本当に面白くなりますよね。

A: Yeah, I know! It’s completely different, right? Like, I think they were cute and all in the beginning, but their later stuff… like that’s ART! 

そうでしょ？全然違うでしょ？最初の頃は可愛いと思うんですけど、その後の曲は......ARTだ！みたいな。

B: Yeah, like “A Day in the Life”? That song gives me shivers every time. 

そうそう、「A Day in the Life」もそうでしょ？あの曲は毎回ゾクゾクしますよね。

A: Oh for sure. And what about “While My Guitar Gently Weeps?” The lyrics and everything… it totally blows me away.

ああ、確かに。で、”While My Guitar Gently Weeps "はどうですか？歌詞も全部……すごく感動しますね。

B: Yeah, makes me feel like I was born in the wrong generation, you know?

まちがった時代に生まれてきてしまった感じですね～

Did you notice how many times A and B used “yeah” in the second example? You can use “Yeah” at the beginning of your sentence, and it will sound very natural most of the time. You can even disagree after saying “yeah”!

Example:

A: Are you going to go to the concert tonight?

B: Yeah, I thought about it, but I don’t think I want to go.

Conclusion: “Yeah” is a very useful word, and it makes conversation go smoothly! Try using it in your sentences more, or listen for it in your favorite English-language TV shows!

*By the way, do you like learning about natural English conversations, like the ones you saw above? Check out my Idioms class! I’ve got dozens and dozens of conversations that you can learn from, and all of them incorporate interesting and cool expressions!*