How to avoid repeating the verb in yes/no answers?

Question

In English, we often say in response to someone else, "I will" or "I do" or other such "half verb" statements which don't seem to exist in French as they are absorbed into the conjugation. E.g.:

Take out the trash please. (Sortez la poubelle, s'il vous plaît.)
— I will. (Je la sortirai.)

or

Do you know how to drive? (Savez-vous conduire ?)
— Yes, I do. (Oui, je sais.)

Is there a French equivalent for these types of responses? It seems a bit awkward/formal to always be repeating back the verb the other person has just said, but perhaps that's just my English-ear bias.

Answer 1

Short answer: no, they don't exist.

You have two ways of answering a question :

Answer shortly:

• Oui/D'accord/OK (informal)
• Non/Pas maintenant/'Peux pas (informal)

Use a verb

You have to repeat the verb (or use a synonym) just as you did in your example.

If you are asked to perform an action, you can also replace it with a "generic" action verb, and use the tense to modulate your answer:

• Je m'en occupe. (I take care of it.)
• Je vais le faire/Je vais m'en occuper. (I'll do/take care of it (shortly).)

In this case, you can drop the yes/no.

Rule of thumb

Indeed, using an English-style answer might be formal. My advice would be:

• When answering a yes/no question, just use a simple yes/no answer, and elaborate if need be, but don't bother repeating the verb as in English. This is not incorrect, just unusual.
• When answering an order ("Take out the trash."), use one of the examples I gave you ("Je vais le faire.")