テープでいいです vs テープでいいです - how to use the correct tone to differentiate them?


I've heard native speakers use テープでいいです in stores when they don't want a bag
(e.g. they're just buying one item) and prefer that the staff use tape
instead. Using it myself has not proved fruitful.

In my example scenario, the cashier has yet to reach for the tape or the bag,
so I say 「テープでいいです」and he proceeds to bag my item. My friend has told me that
his wife (Japanese) explained to him that it depends not only on sentence
structure, but also tone. That is to say that it can be both positive (I would
like tape) and negative (no tape, please). So it appears that I must be saying
it in such a way that it comes across as "no tape, please".

How can I correctly pronounce it so that it's understood to mean that I don't
want a bag and that I only want tape? Is there some gesture that Japanese
people use to make this clear?

P.S. I'm already aware of 要らない but I've had mixed results with that one too.




In a situation where the cashier has yet to reach for the tape or the bag

> テープでお願いします。

would seem much more appropriate to me.

If they were already reaching for bag, then

> あ、テープでいいです。

makes sense.

Obviously, the 「あ」is optional, but it can be very effective in alerting the
person that you have something to say about what they are doing, or because
you forgot, or whatever.

Honestly, unless your intonation is just plain weird, I think timing would be
more important than how it's said for this phrase. Of course, you don't want
to sound curt though.




In a situation where the cashier has yet to reach for the tape or the bag

> テープでお願いします。

would seem much more appropriate to me.

If they were already reaching for bag, then

> あ、テープでいいです。

makes sense.

Obviously, the 「あ」is optional, but it can be very effective in alerting the
person that you have something to say about what they are doing, or because
you forgot, or whatever.

Honestly, unless your intonation is just plain weird, I think timing would be
more important than how it's said for this phrase. Of course, you don't want
to sound curt though.

