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I've heard this used (also as 寝ぼけんじゃねぇよ！) in informal situations with nothing
but smiles all around. But when I tried to use it in an informal situation
with a colleague, I got the distinct feeling I'd just insulted him. I know
it's tough (for me, at least) always to accurately gauge just how
"friendly/informal" to be, and I try to err on the side of politeness always,
but this one just stumped me. How friendly do you have to be with someone
before you can use this expression?
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2011-05-31T22:39:46.923
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2011-12-27T01:14:01.510
2011-12-27T01:14:01.510
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usage formality
How rude is it to say 寝ぼけてるんじゃねぇよ！
This phrase is definitely too informal for using with a colleague at work, for
three reasons:

  1. It makes the assumption that the listener's mind is fuzzy from drowsiness, which (unless this detail is offered by the listener) is kind of a rude thing to assume.

  2. It uses a strong negative command form (～んじゃない), further emphasized by the sentence-ending よ.

  3. The ない is pronounced as ねぇ, which drops the formality level another notch.

You should reserve constructions like this for situations where your position
relative to the listener justifies your use of this form (i.e. when you are
well above the listener), or among very good friends who can take a verbal jab
in good humor (since this sentence has a sharp bite to it).
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2011-05-31T23:20:19.407
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2011-05-31T23:20:19.407
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the 「じゃねぇよ」 part is very very impolite as it is like yelling at them for even
suggesting that you were 寝ぼけ in the first place. It's how you would respond if
you were falsely accused of something. 「じゃないよ」 is much more more appropriate
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2011-05-31T23:20:54.417
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2011-05-31T23:20:54.417
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Trust yourself. If you have to apologize for being too casual, that's fine.
That's just how you learn what's appropriate. Everyone here is just guessing
at what they would do, etc. You're the only one who was there and really felt
the atmosphere.

Also, it may be hard to tell if he was insulted or if he was just surprised
that you would use that phrase. Maybe he's insulted that you're getting better
and more confident in Japanese and don't fit into his impression of you
anymore. (totally speculating)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-06-07T22:14:07.947
748
2011-06-07T22:14:07.947
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answer