Monday 13 February 2012

Let me precise my point...

In English, precise is an adjective, not a verb. It is incorrect to say "Can you precise your statement?". One might say "Can you be more precise." or "Can you make a more precise statement".

2 comments:

marzolian said...

I'm wondering ... is this usage a literal translation from a German "false friend"? French speakers sometimes make the same mistake, and I believe it's because they are thinking of the French verb "préciser". That is most often translated into English as "specify".

Nigel Roberts said...

But you CAN say 'can you precis your statement?' which means something quite different.