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Which is why getting tone right in a foreign language is next to impossible. I'm guessing you're translating from "il faut que j'y aille" which is politer in Fr

Which is why getting tone right in a foreign language is next to impossible. I'm guessing you're translating from "il faut que j'y aille" which is politer in French, thanks to the use of the subjunctive. In English though, without this grammatical tone-setter, you've basically just told someone that you have something that you consider more important than them. Sometimes that can work, especially when the other person isn't expecting your undivided attention, but other times, not so much.

ddebernardy 12y ago
"Il faut que j'y aille" could translate -- very, very loosely -- as "I gotta go because I need to take care of this thing" or something to that order. It's not so bad imo -- in fact, it uses because, which is a good thing if social psychology is anything to go by (e.g. the xerox experiment).
- antimagic 12y ago
  No, "il faut que j'y aille" has no "because" in the sentence. It translates literally to "I have to go", but it's a politer formulation that the English translation might suggest.
  - PeterWhittaker 12y ago
    One could also translate it as "ah, a duty calls me away" or "ah, I have an obligation I must attend to". I use the "ah" to try to capture the tone and gestures that usually accompany "if faut que j'y aille", a sort resignation and regret. A fiction recognized by both speakers.
johnchristopher 12y ago
edit: I just realized that there might be some confusion: I would not use the English `I have to leave you now` sentence in an actual English conversation. That was an approximate translation of the French sentence I use in French conversation (I got carried away with the line of thought `oh! that's how I do it in my language` when reading `britishism`). > Which is why getting tone right in a foreign language is next to impossible. Absolutely right. This really is a blind spot that I am cruelly reminded of every time I find myself in an oral actual conversation with an English native speaker. > I'm guessing you're translating from "il faut que j'y aille" which is politer in French, thanks to the use of the subjunctive. I usually formulate it like this: Je vais devoir|dois vous laisser (maintenant). or Je vous laisse. The last one is really good when you feel the other person doesn't know how to leave the conversation. > In English though, without this grammatical tone-setter, you've basically just told someone that you have something that you consider more important than them. Sometimes that can work, especially when the other person isn't expecting your undivided attention, but other times, not so much. Indeed, the previous example I gave could also be very harsh when spoken a certain way. I sometimes add a `because|parce que` and a reason but I am more often than not under the assumption that the other person will think I am making up excuses which would be even ruder.

ddebernardy 12y ago

"Il faut que j'y aille" could translate -- very, very loosely -- as "I gotta go because I need to take care of this thing" or something to that order. It's not so bad imo -- in fact, it uses because, which is a good thing if social psychology is anything to go by (e.g. the xerox experiment).

antimagic 12y ago
No, "il faut que j'y aille" has no "because" in the sentence. It translates literally to "I have to go", but it's a politer formulation that the English translation might suggest.
- PeterWhittaker 12y ago
  One could also translate it as "ah, a duty calls me away" or "ah, I have an obligation I must attend to". I use the "ah" to try to capture the tone and gestures that usually accompany "if faut que j'y aille", a sort resignation and regret. A fiction recognized by both speakers.

johnchristopher 12y ago

edit: I just realized that there might be some confusion: I would not use the English `I have to leave you now` sentence in an actual English conversation. That was an approximate translation of the French sentence I use in French conversation (I got carried away with the line of thought `oh! that's how I do it in my language` when reading `britishism`). > Which is why getting tone right in a foreign language is next to impossible. Absolutely right. This really is a blind spot that I am cruelly reminded of every time I find myself in an oral actual conversation with an English native speaker. > I'm guessing you're translating from "il faut que j'y aille" which is politer in French, thanks to the use of the subjunctive. I usually formulate it like this: Je vais devoir|dois vous laisser (maintenant). or Je vous laisse. The last one is really good when you feel the other person doesn't know how to leave the conversation. > In English though, without this grammatical tone-setter, you've basically just told someone that you have something that you consider more important than them. Sometimes that can work, especially when the other person isn't expecting your undivided attention, but other times, not so much. Indeed, the previous example I gave could also be very harsh when spoken a certain way. I sometimes add a `because|parce que` and a reason but I am more often than not under the assumption that the other person will think I am making up excuses which would be even ruder.