To sign 'nail' (as in the metal hardware), hold your non-dominant hand out in front of you, either flat with the palm facing down or in a loose fist, to represent a surface. Form your dominant hand into an 'S' shape (a fist) to represent a hammer. Bring your dominant fist down to strike the back of your non-dominant hand, mimicking the action of hammering a nail into wood.
Sign 'picture', then 'hang', and use the sign for 'nail' to show what you need to secure it to the wall.
Sign 'wood', then use the 'nail' sign with a strong, deliberate striking motion to emphasize the action of hammering.
Point to the person, sign 'have', then 'nail', followed by 'toolbox' while raising your eyebrows to ask a yes/no question.
Sign 'picture', then 'hang', and use the sign for 'nail' to show what you need to secure it to the wall.
Sign 'wood', then use the 'nail' sign with a strong, deliberate striking motion to emphasize the action of hammering.
Point to the person, sign 'have', then 'nail', followed by 'toolbox' while raising your eyebrows to ask a yes/no question.
No, they are completely different. For a hardware nail, you mimic the action of hammering. For a fingernail, you simply point to or tap the actual fingernail on your non-dominant hand.
To say you 'nailed it', you wouldn't use the hardware nail sign. Instead, use the ASL sign for 'perfect' or 'exact', which uses two 'F' handshapes touching together in front of you.
Yes! The sign for 'nail' can function as both the noun (the metal fastener) and the verb (the action of hammering). You can emphasize the verb by making the striking motion larger or more pronounced.
