naismith03 wrote: i thought ganbare is something in the 1st person as in i'm saying i will do my best, encouraging myself and gabatte(ne) is something i say to someone else. do your best or good luck to you. now i'm confused :S that's what i gathered from watching variety shows lol.
Ganbare can also be used in encouraging others - Ganbatte-ne also xD
Mostly, people in Japan use "Ganbare" like for example: You failed to study for an exam the next day and your best friend saw you troubled, in these situations, your best friend would likely say "Ganbatte-ne" instead of "Ganbare" because I'm sure that you're friend is confident that you'll pass the test.
And according to the things I observed while I'm on vacation in Japan, mostly girls use "Ganbare" and boys use "Ganbatte" though, the difference between the two words are more on politeness.