converstaion: $B$N(B

[dadako]

I've heard

元気いるの？
これないの？
なんの？

etc, but I'm wondering if the の　part is only for use by females?
I'm a male and its hard to learn male spoken japanese.

助けてのえがいひます

[beluga]

の or ん is just to add more concern to the question...
example, どうしますか？ sounds neutral. どうしたの？or どうしたんですか？ convey a little more concern. I think male or female uses it.

[Elizabeth]

の can have different purposes depending on the tone of voice and speaker. For instance, as an an explanation or for emotive emphasis I think it is used mostly by women and children.

Kore jibunde kaita no. I wrote this myself.
Atama ga itai no. I have a headache.

(2) If you want to make it a question on the other hand (with a rising intonation) it becomes nothing more than a shortened form of "no desu ka"? In this case used mostly in reacting to surprising or unusual situations or turn of events.

Ima konai no? Aren't you coming now?
Doushita no? What's the matter?

But you don't really say 元気いるの? or なんの？ so this may not be of much help. Maybe someone else can understand better....:)

[Elizabeth]

This link is to a pretty good explanation of "na no (ka)" from another forum.

http://www.animelyrics.com/forum/topic_show.pl?tid=9011

[dadako]

thanks guys