Why is 的 used with 是 sometimes to answer in the affirmative? As in 是的

Question

I've seen 是的 used multiple times as a "yes" answer to a question.

As in the following interaction:

A: 这只猫是你的吗?

B: 是的。

How is it different than just 是 by itself?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Both right, but 是的 is more common in spoken language. The 的 in here is called a modal particle.

Answer 2

I believe there is no semantic difference between 是。 and 是的。when used in answers. Both are very common, but using just one word / phoneme to reply colloquially can be a little bit too spartan / less polite sometimes.

Answer 3

是的 is the formal usage, while 是 is informal, and short. And 是的 has the self-sufficient feel, as if it had a period attached to it, while 是, on the other hand, feels like it has a comma attached, inviting both sides to expand on it. For example:

A: 这只猫是你的吗?
B: 是。
A: 它是什么品种的？
B: 虎斑。