Hi English speking people could you please answer my questions about English?

Question

Hi all. I am a university student from Iran. I just have several questions.Could you please answer them?Thank you all.
1-Whenever you say "I am going to be a translator." does it mean that "you just want/wish to be/become a translator" or "you are a university student and you actually will be a translator"?and also when you say "going to or gonna" are you talking about near future or not?are you sure that the thing will actually happen or you doubt?
2-Could you please answer the above questions about "about to" in sentences like "He is about to die/go/etc"?
3-which sentence is true? "shall I go?" or "should I go?" and "You shall get some sleep" or"you should get some sleep" and what is different between shall and should?
4-And I have always problems in choosing between "would" and "could".which one sall I use here "If I were you I would/could go there" and if you say "I would not be there" does it mean "you dont like to be there" or " you cannot be there"?
5-which cmbination is true?get/take some rest/sleep?
6-which is true?I mean where shall I use "ever" here? "it has not been this hot ever" / "it has never been this hot"/it has not ever been this hot"
7-what does "you will break it" or "you will make it" mean?
8-What do you say for example when a part of your PC stops functioning?do you say "it has burnt" or "it is broken down" or something else?
9-when you say "I would rather do it" does it mean "I prefer to do it"?
10-In examples like "the door of the car/the car door" can I use both forms in all of situations?For example is it true to say "the relatives of my mother"? or shall I say "my mother`s relatives"? and the president`s statements" or "the statement of the president"?
11-Is that true to say "poor me" like when you say "poor you"?
12-which is true?"thanks all of you" or "thank you all'?

Answer 1

Note I'm an American, in particular California. Some of these points might very well differ in the UK, India, or Australia.

1 - If somebody says "I am going to be.." I assume they mean that they have a plan and if everything goes according to plan it will happen; it's not just a desire, but it's not certain either, since plans often fail. Just a desire would be "I want to be..". I don't think it connotes any particular time; somebody might say "I am going to be a translator" when they are just starting a 6-year course, or if they are just about to get on the bus to go to the UN to start work.

However, (very) young people might say "I am going to be a policeman when I grow up"; that's just a desire (and probably just a mood of the moment.)

2. "About to", compared to "going to be" is much more certain and immediate. My new UN translator above would say "I'm about to start my new job as translator at the UN." He'd only say that if he's been hired and is starting at a definite time.

3.Both "shall I go?" and "should I go?" are correct; almost nobody in the US uses "shall" anymore in conversation, though. For people who use both, the "shall" form is more asking "what do you want me to do?" while "should" is more asking "what do you think would be best for me?" "You shall get some sleep" sounds very bossy to me, it's something a parent might say to a child who's stayed up to late.

4. Would is usually more about desires, while could is more about possibility. "I would not be there" usually means "I would not enjoy the consequences of being there, and I don't think you would either."

5. Getting either rest or sleep sounds OK to me. taking some rest sounds correct, but formal/old fashioned. Taking some sleep doesn't sound like anything I would ever say.

6. All these are OK and mean the same thing; the first, with "ever" at the end, sounds the most emphatic.

7 I'm not sure what you're asking here.

Oh, I get it now. There's a business jargon/cliche phrase: "This is a make or break situation", "We're going to make it or break it here." It means that if things go OK, the business will become successful, if things go wrong the business will fail. Like most business jargon, it's said a lot more often than it's true.

8. Burnt only if smoke actually came out. Just "broken" instead of "broken down",

9. Yes, it doe, though in the "rather do it", there's a connotation that there are several choices, of which the indicated one is the best, but none of them might be very pleasant. "I prefer" sounds more like it's actually pleasant.

10. the "of the" constructions are always more formal/stilted than the possessive ('s) or adjectival noun "car door" but they are all correct.

11. People do say "poor me" (see the Warren Zevon song "Poor Poor Pitiful Me") but it's almost always said in a self-mocking way -- "I'm feeling sorry for myself, but I have to admit things could be much worse"; while "poor you " might actually be true sympathy.

12. Both are OK.

BTW, "which is true" sounds odd to me, I'd be asking "which is right" or "which is more correct"?

Answer 2

1. when you say "I'm going to be a translator" means both of those things you mentioned.
A) you want to become and translator and
B) usually assumed that you are going to school to become one.
"going" in the proper term, "gonna" is okay if you are talking with friends.

2. most people don't say "he is about to die". it's always he's going to die"

3. "should I go" is more informal, "shall I go" is more proper
and it's "you should get some sleep"

4. "if I were you, I would go there."
"I would not be there" is very rigid in it's delivery. it sounds as if you DO NOT want to be there which will lead to some problems later on. you might want to say, "I will not be going there or I won't be there"

5. get some rest or sleep is fine. or take a rest.

6. it has never been this hot. all are correct but instead of has not or have not, you should use hadn't or haven't. makes it sound more fluid.

7. you will break it means you are going to break something
you will make it means you are goung to make something.

8. it is broken down is normal

9. yes, same thing.

10. most times you'll hear the car door, not the door of the car.much easier to break things down simply so saying the president's statements is more common than the statement of the president.

11. poor me, is proper. poor you will get you into fights.

12. either is fine but should be
thanks, to all of you OR thank you all

With english, simply learning the basics is good but you also need to make it conversational. many people are informal in their speech so if you sound "formal" is will make the conversation awkward. so try and keep things simple and easy for the most part.

Answer 3

1. It means they are planning on being or becoming a translator. Going to or gonna can be near future or far future.

2. About to - would be near future and with certainity. But it depends on the context. Someone might say, "He's about to die." When they are angry at someone and are about to go confront them.

If I say, "I'm about to go." It would mean I would be leaving in the near future.

3. "Shall I go?" is asking permission or "Should I go?" is asking if you're obligated to leave. But most would say it's interchangeable.

4. If I were you, I would go there. I would not be there implies that you don't want to go. If you say, I could not be there it means that you cannot be there.

5. get some rest or get some sleep is correct.

6. Any of those are correct.

7. You will break it - Means whatever you are messing with will break.
You will make it - depends on the context of the sentence. If you mean, "You will make it there." It means you will succeed. Otherwise it means that you are going to create something.

8. If my computer stops working, I say alot of not nice words and then I say it "crashed". I might just say "My computer is not working or My computer is broken."

9. If you say you'd rather do it, it means that you would like to do it yourself over anyone else.

10. I'd use the car door, mother's relatives, president's statements.

11. I don't understand the question.

12. Either is fine. I perfer "Thanks Y'all!"

Answer 4

1. 'going to' can mean either definition, dependent on the intention of the speaker. If unclear of the speaker's meaning, ask because it could imply near OR distant future:

e.g. - A child says, "I am going to be a fireman." Obviously, the child will not be able to be a fireman until the distant future, when the child is old enough. And by then, the child's dream may have changed. If a college student says, "I am going to be an astrophysicist," most likely, that student IS going to become an astrophysicist once she/he graduates from the program. "I am going to be in a movie." That could take place tomorrow or next year. Again, the only way to determine time is to ask the person who made the comment.

2."About to" implies a bit more immediacy than "going to". However, there still is no definitive time frame that can be applied, so if you are in doubt you should ask.

e.g. - A student at the beginning of his last semester of college could say "I am about to graduate from college," even though his graduation is still, technically, months away. Related to the time frame of semesters, this is his last semester and, as soon as it is completed, he WILL graduate. A magician who says, "I am about to pull a rabbit out of my hat," is most likely going to perform that action immediately after speaking his intentions. So, "about to" is relative to the intent/situation of the user.

3."Shall" is present tense "Should" is past tense.... in formal proper English. But virtually NO ONE in common American society says 'shall' anymore... and this situation arises also with "will" and "would". I recommend visiting http://www.dictionary.com/ for a more thorough explanation of these terms.

4."Would" is a form of "will" and "could" is a form of "can". Again, I think that "would" and "could" get used interchangibly and, therefore, incorrectly. I WILL do something or I WILL NOT do something indicates action/ability/commitment. I CAN do something or I CANNOT do something indicates that, while the ability to do something is there, the action or commitment is not necessarily there.... "I CAN take out the trash {both of my legs work and I am strong enough to carry it} but I WILL not {even though I CAN physically, I choose not to}."

5. It's "GET some rest/sleep" as in "I need to get some sleep," or "You really need to get some rest."

6.Either "It has not (usually spoken as "hasn't") ever been this hot," or "It's never been this hot."

7.Unless I can see these phrases in context, I don't know what they mean.

8. Usually, people say their computer "crashed," or that "it's fried." There might be newer slang that I'm not aware of, but those are the two most common terms I've heard.

9. Basically, yes, "rather" and "prefer" can be used interchangibly.

10. You CAN use either forms of phrases you mention... it's more about brevity: "car door" is more concise than "door of the car".

11. Again, in what context? Unless I see context, I'm not sure.

12. Either works.

I never majored in English (much to my highschool English teacher's dismay)... but I'm pretty good at it. Anybody out there who disagrees with any of the above stuff?... they're probably right!

Good luck.

Answer 5

There are on-line courses that can assist you better than people on Yahoo.

Don't get me wrong but most americans do not speak proper English in the first place, so the safe bet is go on-line.

Good luck!!!

Answer 6

1. both are correct
3. shall i go? & you should get some sleep
4. if i were you i would go there .........can mean any of the two
5. get some sleep...& take some rest
6. it has never been this hot
8. it has broken down
9. yes, it means that
10. both are correct
11. yes, that's right
12. thanks all of you

Answer 7

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RE:
Hi English speking people could you please answer my questions about English?
Hi all. I am a university student from Iran. I just have several questions.Could you please answer them?Thank you all.
1-Whenever you say "I am going to be a translator." does it mean that "you just want/wish to be/become a translator" or "you are a university student and...

Answer 8

Get Some Rest

Answer 9

If you are really a university student in Iran then I am the prima ballerina for the Bolshoy Ballet...

Sorry... I'm not going to bite on your pseudo-question

Answer 10

i think the questions your asking are both right but not sure because you make resonible questions