# docela ano



## djwebb1969

This dialogue is in my textbook:

Jak se ti tady líbí?
Docela ano.

"Yes" isn't a very good answer in English to "how do you like it here?" Jak...?  Ano. ???

Is this correct? Is "docela ano" just a recognised phrase meaning "quite well, thanks"? "Ano" doesn't seem to have any obvious place in this sentence.


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## Enquiring Mind

_"It's pretty good", "it's not bad at all"_, "_it's quite ok, actually"_ - in the absence of further context, this indicates to me that the person *does*, in fact, like it, often when they might not have been expected to.


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## risa2000

*it's pretty good = je to (tady) dost dobré
it's not bad at all = vůbec to (tady) není špatné
it's quite ok, actually = vlastně to docela jde [vlastně docela ano]

*Apart from that I am afraid that *docela ano* can be interpreted as rather positive (speaker likes it more than he expected) or rather negative (speaker likes it, but not as much as he expected) depending on the intonation and/or the context.


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## djwebb1969

OK, I see. Thanks, people.


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## Enquiring Mind

Yes, but you have to translate meaning in context  (which is why I said "in the absence of further context"), not words.  Can't say I've ever heard anyone say "je to (tady) dost dobré".  When I've heard people say "docela ano" in response to how they like something, what I'd say in English is any one of the three I suggested.


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## risa2000

@EM my transcription of your examples only shows that there exist quite similar expressions in Czech which convey the same meaning - "when speaker likes it more then he expected".
Then I tried to point out that *docela ano* (note missing *vlastně*) could be used in both meanings (I mentioned above) and the choice will depend on context *and/or* intonation. You can imagine that *docela ano*, based on the situation, can be interpreted as:
a) it's quite ok (= good, but not as good as expected)
b) it's quite ok, actually (= better than expected)
I would probably tend more to (a), because my experience of *docela ano* is not that enthusiastic, but I agree with you that without the context (and I add - or the intonation), we cannot be sure.

*EDIT: *Just to answer the original question - *docela ano* is not a "recognized phrase", it is an answer, which can be quite precise, depending on the circumstances.


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## djwebb1969

Thanks for all the replies. Risa2000, "it's quite good" could also have two meanings in English, depending on intonation. It's quite _good_, actually!, where "good" is stressed, has a positive meaning. It's _quite _good, where "quite" is stressed, means "it's OK, I suppose". But I think there are these two meanings of similar phrases in all languages.


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## werrr

djwebb1969 said:


> This dialogue is in my textbook:
> 
> Jak se ti tady líbí?
> Docela ano.
> 
> "Yes" isn't a very good answer in English to "how do you like it here?" Jak...?  Ano. ???
> 
> Is this correct? Is "docela ano" just a recognised phrase meaning "quite well, thanks"? "Ano" doesn't seem to have any obvious place in this sentence.


You are right on the spot. The how-wording is only a polite way to ask an affirmative question so that the respondent is not pressurized to simple yes or no. The "ano" answers the actual question which is "Líbí se ti tady?".

The full-sentence answer would be: "Ano, docela se mi tady líbí." As you can see, the modifier "docela" expands the verb "líbit se", not the affirmative particle "ano"! That's why others objected to the notion that it is a recognized phrase. It makes no sense on its own. On the other hand "docela jistý" is a recognized phrase alike English "pretty sure".


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## djwebb1969

Thanks for that Werrr!


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## tlumic

Když už, tak bych řekl hovorově "docela jo". "Docela ano" bych použil výjimečně, pro ozvláštnění. "Jo" používám v běžném hovoru rozhodně častěji než "ano".

(Jinak myslím, že je jasné, že pokud bych chtěl tázajícího se skutečně přesvědčit, že se mi tam, kde se nalézáme, líbí či bych chtěl být vůči němu zdvořilý, odpovím trošku jinak, třeba "Líbí, moc! Je to tady báječný!" nebo "Já bych sem jezdil nejradši furt!" a podobně.).

I wrote it in czech but I hope you´ll understand.


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