I found it interesting

[lifetraveller.livejournal.com]

Here in russian: http://www.livejournal.com/users/egor_13/36743.html

Dialogue between foreigner and native speaker:
- Please could u tell me if there is a bowling club in your town?
(-Скажите, пожалуйста, а есть ли у вас в городе боулинг-клуб?)

The answer was:
- Да, может быть, и нет.

I think it's even better to write this sentence without first comma ("Да может быть, и нет") for a better retroducing of intonation/ inflexion. Anyway i understand the way the foreigner felt when he heard that.

So the answer means "rather not" despite it consists of words"yes", "maybe" and "no".

Comments

скорее уж так:

[fint.livejournal.com]

"Да.Может быть и нет."

[onodera.livejournal.com]

Here «да» is used not as 'yes', but as a conjunction(???) that just starts the sentence.
So this answer = «Может быть, и нет» = 'Perhaps there isn't one.'

[giantantattack.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that in this case "да" would be a particle, not a conjunction.

[oryx_and_crake]

The closest translation into English will be
"Well, perhaps there isn't."

[friendlic.livejournal.com]

I second this. Wanted to give the same translation.

[friendlic.livejournal.com]

There's a funny comment in the tread (http://www.livejournal.com/users/egor_13/36743.html) mentioned above:
знакомные иностранцы всегда веселились, когда я отвечала "да нет":)

The funny answer is not translated as "Yes, no", but "Well, no"

[-alex-dee-.livejournal.com]

lifetraveller,

>I think it's even better to write this sentence without first comma ("Да может быть, и нет")
оставь запятую после "да".
try this: может быть да, может быть нет ;-))

[ta-kun.livejournal.com]

Логичнее звучало бы как "Да, а может быть и нет".