Why do you say "God bless you"? In English grammar, when using a 3rd pronoun followed by a regular verb, the rule is to add "es" or "s" as verb ending. Shouldn't people be saying "God blesses you"?
Does anyone have an explanation?
2007-02-07 14:39:27 · 12 answers · asked by s003397 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
One traditional explanation for the custom is that it began literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory I the Great (AD 540-604) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the bubonic plague in AD 590 (his successor succumbed to it). To combat the plague, Gregory ordered litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's blessing. When someone sneezed (seen as the initial onset of the plague), they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not actually develop the disease.
2007-02-07 14:46:40 · answer #1 · answered by faithy_q_t_poo 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
God bless you is a command as opposed to a simple statement. The verb takes this form as in God bless you, or heaven help you to express a wishful command, as in something that someone wishes upon you. When God bless you is said, its almost like asking God to bless you, not actually stating that God blesses you. Hope this doesn't confuse things!
2007-02-13 09:31:46 · answer #2 · answered by Logie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer depends on what the speaker means. The traditional response to a sneeze, etc., is "God bless you," which, I believe, is short for the expression, "May God bless you," meaning roughly, "May it come to pass that God shall bless you."
Conversely, if you want to assert that you already believe that God is currently blessing someone, however, you can correctly say either, "God is blessing you," or "God blesses you."
2007-02-10 08:40:24 · answer #3 · answered by seaturtle26j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's actually a shortened form of the phrase "may God bless you." You'd say "God blesses you" if you were using it in a different sentence, like "if you reallystop to think about it, you'd be amazed at how much God blesses you" or "I like seeing how God blesses you."
2007-02-07 14:46:16 · answer #4 · answered by thejanith 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the proper way to say it is "may god bless you"but the majority of people who speak english in america are not not speaking proper english.
2007-02-15 10:01:33 · answer #5 · answered by MAMACITA 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not the full complete sentence as i know, its "may god bless u". this is the correct sentence, but whe we speak we use the colloquial language and say "god bless u" hidng the "may".
2007-02-15 05:06:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's short for "May God bless you".
2007-02-07 14:45:57 · answer #7 · answered by paladin 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In all languages first spoken then grammar written. Some times it might be out of grammer. I mean languages are not for grammar , they are for speaking.
2007-02-07 20:56:01 · answer #8 · answered by hanibal 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's more like a command rather than a present tense statement
2007-02-07 14:58:59 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are so many rules for English, and then so many more exceptions where those rules do not apply...
that's the best I can tell ya
2007-02-07 14:47:08 · answer #10 · answered by Sicily 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋