• dzsimbo@lemm.ee
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    19 hours ago

    Man, English is so wacky. After reading that post twice the structure fell apart in my mind, and I’m a native speaker. Hats off to anyone who picked up the language along the way.

    • TheOakTree@lemm.ee
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      3 hours ago

      “This can’t possibly be the same 9PM at which I once would prepare for outings.”

      Does this work better, or am I crazy?

      • dzsimbo@lemm.ee
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        2 hours ago

        Yes, but with “fixing” the structure, you have robbed it of colloquialism. Maybe it’s just me projecting.

        I lived among non-native speakers for the longest time, and shaped my English using my knowledge of other languages to bridge some gaps in communication. Now I’m back to a native environment and catch myself slipping up with my invented phrases.

        The thing is, I can’t find another combination of words to convey the exact sentiment so succintly, even though I’m not sure it’s gramatically correct.

    • Codpiece@feddit.uk
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      11 hours ago

      And this is perfect example of using five words incorrectly, rather than the correct two.