About Ending Particle よ

Ending particle よ is used when you notify people about something. When you notify someone that their fly is open, you use よ.

チャックが空いていますよ。 Your fly is open.

Other examples:

携帯を落としましたよ。 You dropped your phone.

シャツが裏返しですよ。 Your shirt is inside out.

顔にケチャップがついていますよ。 There is ketchup on your face.

• チャックが空(あ)いている：fly is open
• 携帯（けいたい）：cellphone
• 〜を落(お)とす：drop ~
• 顔（かお）：face
• AにBがつく：B sticks to A

よ can carry a feeling like "I share this with you". You watched a movie and someone asked you how was it, you can answer by saying 面白かった or 面白かったよ. Both sentences are fine and natural. If you just say 面白かった, you are just stating what you felt, it doesn't have this feeling of "I share the feeling I had with you". Saying 面白かったよ has "I share this feeling I had with you" vibe, so it sounds more friendly.

Particle よ has "I share this with you" feeling, so if you use it, you sound engaged in the conversation. If you just say 面白かった, it sounds like you are a little bit indifferent.

If I forcibly translate the two sentences here, ①面白かった and ②面白かったよ, it will be like this.

A: How was the film?

①It was interesting.

②Yeah, (I'm telling you) it was interesting!

It doesn't mean that if you don't put よ then it becomes impolite, people casually say ① also, but the difference is that if you want to carry the feeling "I want to share with you" "I'm telling you", it is just that with よ it sounds more friendly.

例1

旅行どうだった？ How was the trip?

楽しかったよ！ It was fun!

例2

そこの新しいそば屋はどうですか？ How is that new soba shop?

すごくおいしいですよ。 That place is very tasty.

• 旅行(りょこう)：trip
• 〜はどうだった？/ どうでした？：How was ~?
• 楽(たの)しい：fun, enjoyable
• 新(あたら)しい：new
• そば屋(や)：soba shop
• 〜はどう？/ どうですか？：How is ~?
• すごく：very
• おいしい：tasty

There is one trick you can use, you can express excited attitude just by adding emphasis with your tone. You don't need any ending particle when you do that.

旭山動物園はどうだった？ How was Asahiyama Zoo?

シロクマ、かわいかった！ The polar bear was so cute!

Let's compare the tone with audio1.

1. シロクマ、かわいかった。 The polar bear was cute.

2. シロクマ、かわいかった！(with emphasis) The polar bear was so cute!

• 旭山動物園(あさひやまどうぶつえん)：Asahiyama Zoo (in Asahikawa city)
• シロクマ：polar bear
• かわいい：cute, adorable

When people talk about something negative, like "how was the exam?" "I failed," in these situations people tend not to use よ, because bad news is not something you want to share with someone with enthusiasm.

試験どうだった？ How was the exam?

落ちた。 I failed.

If you say you passed the exam, it is very natural to use よ.

試験どうだった？ How was the exam?

合格したよ！ I passed!

• 試験(しけん)：exam
• [試験に]落(お)ちる：fail (an exam)
• 合格(ごうかく)する：pass (an exam)

When you use よ with adjective, if the adjective carries positive meaning in the sentence, it sounds like you are recommending something. If the adjective carries negative feeling, it sounds like you are warning or dissuading.

あの店のうどんはおいしいですよ。Udon in that shop is tasty (I recommend it).

おいしい in this sentence obviously carries positive feeling, so it sounds like this person is recommending that udon.

あの店のうどんはおいしくないですよ。 Udon in that shop is not tasty (you shouldn't eat it).

おいしくない carries negative feeling, so it sounds like this person is warning that you shouldn't eat udon there.

Some words can be used positively or negatively, depending on the context and tone.

このケーキ、甘いですよ。 This cake is sweet.

甘い could be negative for those who don't like it to be too sweet, but at the same time, it could be positive for those who prefer sweet cakes. In actual conversation, people can differentiate the two by using different tone. Please compare them by listening audio 2.

このケーキ、甘いですよ。(positive) This cake is sweet (I recommend it).

このケーキ、甘いですよ。(negative) This cake is (too) sweet (I don't recommend it.)

• あの店(みせ)：that shop
• うどん：udon
• ケーキ：cake
• 甘(あま)い：sweet

What about when you use it with verb? よ on verbs can have three different functions.

1. Same as in the previous cases, it can carry "I share it with you" feeling.

明日学校に行く？ Are you going to school tomorrow?

行くよ。Yeah, I'm going.

In this situation, if you just say 行く, it sounds like you are not enthusiastic about this conversation.

明日学校に行く？Are you going to school tomorrow?

行く。I'm going.

• 明日(あした)：tomorrow
• 学校(がっこう)：school
• 〜に行(い)く：go to ~

2. Used it when you voluntarily do something for someone, like "I'll do that for you."

荷物、私が持ちますよ。I'll carry the baggage if you don't mind.

料理、手伝いますよ。I'll help you with cooking if you don't mind.

会計は私が払いますよ。I'll pay the bill if you don't mind.

If you don't put よ here, it sounds like it is already determined that you help the person.

荷物、私が持ちます。I carry the baggage.

料理、手伝います。I help you with cooking.

会計は私が払います。I pay the bill.

• 荷物(にもつ)：baggage, stuff that people carry
• 持(も)つ：hold, carry
• 料理(りょうり)：cooking, cooked food
• 手伝(てつだ)う：help, give hand
• 会計(かいけい)：bill, check
• 払(はら)う：pay

3. Used when you warn someone, "I'll do ~ if ~" "I don't do ~ if ~".

Say you are having dinner with friends, realized that everyone is gazing at their phones, no one is talking. In this situation, you might say "well if you guys don't stop looking at your phones, I'll go home". In this situation, you use よ.

もしみんなずっと携帯ばかり見てるなら、わたし帰るよ。

If you guys keep on gazing at your phones, I'll go home.

A family with a kid is planning to go to an amusement park this weekend, but since the kid is misbehaving, the mother warns the kid "if you don't stop that I won't take you to the amusement park!" to warn them, in this situation you also use よ.

もしそれやめないと、遊園地に連れていかないよ！

If you don't stop that, I won't take you to the amusement park!

Ending particle ぞ is a stronger and more rough form of よ. You can use it likewise, but it has very rough vibe. If a kidnapper threatens someone that "If you don't give me the money, I'll kill this guy!" He would use ぞ to threaten them.

もし金を渡さなかったら、こいつを殺すぞ！

If you don't give me money, I'll kill this guy!

• もしみんなずっと携帯(けいたい)ばかり見(み)てるなら：if everyone keeps on gazing at the phone
• 帰(かえ)る：go home
• やめる：quit, stop
• 遊園地(ゆうえんち)：amusement park
• 金(かね)：money
• 渡(わた)す：hand, give
• こいつ：this guy (derogatory)
• 殺(ころ)す：kill

Ending particles are hard to grasp, they can mean many different things depending on the context and the tone. There can be other ways in which this particle よ is used. But if you can get a vague idea about the fundamental function of the particle, and after absorbing many examples of it, you will get the sense of it, and without realizing it, you will be able to use it. When you master it, you might not be able to explain why, but you would use it in a natural way.

There are four audio files.

1. Examples (read all the examples in the text)

2. Vocabulary (read all the vocabulary in the text)

3. Audio1

4. Audio2