what does では do in それが人の本質だからでは

Question

what is the difference between

それが人の本質だからでは

and

それが人の本質だから

saw this in an episode of attack on titan

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 04 '21 at 01:01

5

This では is short for ではないか, which roughly means "..., isn't it?". For example, 夢では means "It's a dream, isn't it?" or just "Isn't it a dream?".

それが人の本質だからでは
= それが人の本質だからではないか

It's because that is the true nature of humans, isn't it?

answered Aug 04 '21 at 01:01

naruto

Can では be also short for ではない? – Jimmy Yang Aug 04 '21 at 03:01
1

@JimmyYang Yes, see this answer. But usually いいえ or an ellipsis is present when non-interrogative ではない is intended. Otherwise the sentence would look too confusing. – naruto Aug 04 '21 at 04:31

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