Jo, de ligger i kjølebagen.

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Breakdown of Jo, de ligger i kjølebagen.

• de: they
• ligge: to lie
• kjølebagen: the cooler bag

Questions & Answers about Jo, de ligger i kjølebagen.

What does jo mean at the beginning of the sentence?

Here jo is a reply word. It is usually used when you are:

• contradicting a negative statement
• answering a negative question
• correcting someone’s assumption

So Jo, de ligger i kjølebagen often has the feel of:

• Yes, they are
• Actually, yes
• On the contrary, they’re in the cooler bag

For example:

• De er ikke her. = They aren’t here.
• Jo, de ligger i kjølebagen. = Yes, they are — they’re in the cooler bag.

Why is it jo and not ja?

Because jo and ja are not used in exactly the same way.

• ja = ordinary yes
• jo = yes, but specifically against a negative idea

This is a very common thing for English speakers to notice, because English often just uses yes in both situations.

Compare:

• Er de i kjølebagen? = Are they in the cooler bag?
  Answer: Ja.
• Er de ikke i kjølebagen? = Aren’t they in the cooler bag?
  Answer: Jo.

So jo is the natural choice if the speaker is pushing back against a negative assumption.