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If you say お前…なぁ(Omae… nā: you...) what is it that you're trying to say?

Context: A girl cuts ties with her best friend, telling her it's because she's selfish.

My doubt: なぁ could indicate a strong sentiment because they split apart or maybe she's saying the real reason is that it's for her own good (and not being selfish as she had explained).

So it could be:

You, I wonder...

OR

You, (strong sentiment because they're not friends anymore).

I don't even know if it's actually true that it's because she's selfish. Unless that particle somehow denies its credibility it would mean that she's simply selfish.

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  • So who said this? A girl herself said お前なぁ? Or someone who has heard her story?
    – naruto
    May 3, 2017 at 8:35

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お前 and なぁ (said own its own) are both regarded as masculine words, although there can be exceptions. かなぁ can mean "I wonder", but here なぁ is said by itself, separated by the ellipsis. So it doesn't mean "I wonder".

なぁ like this is usually somewhere between "you know what", "oh please", and "come on". The speaker is somehow dissatisfied about something, and expecting the listener to understand his/her feeling. Since the context is not enough I don't know what this sentence actually refers to. For example, if this was said by a male person who heard the girl's story, it probably means he was disappointed by what the girl did.

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  • Slight change in context. The same as before but it's between 2 friends from different sexes (I said between to men because the context is complex and that would simplify matters). A girl stops being friends with a boy (everything that I said before remains) and the boy says お前…なぁ after she says it's because she's selfish. Then it just means disappointment, not disbelief? (It does make sense she's simply selfish storywise, I just want to confirm the boy doesn't deny that fact).
    – Mer
    May 3, 2017 at 12:40
  • The man is very hurt btw (and almost cries).
    – Mer
    May 3, 2017 at 12:47
  • Naruto, did you read my last question in the previous comment?
    – Mer
    May 3, 2017 at 17:59
  • The question is that it just means disappointment, not disbelief? (with the context in my last comment).
    – Mer
    May 3, 2017 at 19:44
  • Yes I was assuming that context (a male person heard a girl's story of having cut ties with another boy). He was shocked and bit at a loss for words. This なぁ has a nuance of "oh come on", "oh please", "give me a break" or such.
    – naruto
    May 4, 2017 at 2:16

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