Thursday 12 June 2008

Do you agree to me?

If you don't hate prepositions, you haven't tried to learn enough languages. I sometimes hear my Germany colleagues say something like "I agree to him". One agrees with someone or something when you're expressing that two people have the same view on a topic. Prepositions are a pain. Do you agree with me?

By the way, "agree to" means to consent, e.g., She agreed to the conditions in the contract.

Thursday 10 April 2008

We'll see us tomorrow...

While this construction seems sensible to many Germans, it is incorrect. I don't claim to know all the nuances of reflexive pronouns, but can tell you the proper way to express this thought is "We'll see each other tomorrow".

Saturday 1 March 2008

I digged your blog...

irregular past participles can make the most fluent speaker of a foreign language sound like a third grader, even if just for a moment. One of the ones I hear most consistently misused is "digged", as in "we digged ourselves into a hole". "Dug" is the past participle of dig -- "we dug ourselves into a hole".

Wednesday 20 February 2008

I'm going to the toilet...

This post is more about usage than grammar and underscores a difference between American and British English. While the use of the word toilet is, in my experience, perfectly normal in the UK, it has taken on an indelicate connotation in American English. As a matter of fact, saying you're going to the toilet is almost vulgar in American English. This usage is encouraged in many non-Americans by cognates prevalent in various European languages, German and French leaping immediately to mind.

Just a heads up for those who might be traveling across the pond. More common and/or polite in American English is to use "bathroom" or, even more politely, "restroom".