Ask an Idiom

[faino]

Hi my name is Made Putrama, I'm a beginner in English. I'm from Indonesia. I have many idioms in Indonesian language. I'm interested to start using it in English. But sometimes I couldn't found the idiom I'm searching for.

If I want to correct a problem and need to explain to someone that has another point of view, I would like to say it so it is more polite to hear and doesn't hurt the person I'm talking with (the actual meaning is I don't mean to teach the person by explaining the thing). Is there an Idiom to say about something like this?

[Tdol]

I don't know an idiom that fits there directly. Do you want them to listen to the other person?

[faino]

Hi Tdol,
Thanks for your reply. Sorry for my previous email. I might explained it imprecisely.
Let say, I want to refuse other opinion, probably I would say:
"OK, I don't agree with you. I don't mean to teach you, but in my opinion..."
Actually, I'd like to find a such idiom for the above purpose.

I searched in the idiom references in this site, I found this idiom seem to be having similar meaning:

Teach your grandmother to suck eggs

but the words look not very suit enough if I want to use it in formal sentences/situations like for example in a meeting. I just think if there is an idiom to achieve the same meaning sense.

[bli gede]

Om suastiastu,

The way to use it is:

"I don't want to teach my grandmother how to suck eggs, but, have you thought about ....?"

wiadin

"Look, I'm not trying to teach my grandmother ...., but what about ...?"

Teler wenten kabeh paten ring punika dados nganggen

ok?

[Casiopea]

Welcome, bli gede. Please use English.


Om suastiastu; wiadin; Teler wenten kabeh paten ring punika dados nganggen


All the best.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by faino

If I want to correct a problem and need to explain to someone that has another point of view, I would like to say it so it is more polite to hear and doesn't hurt the person I'm talking with (the actual meaning is I don't mean to teach the person by explaining the thing). Is there an Idiom to say about something like this?

I don't know of an idiom either, but there is this common saying,

Ex: No disrespect intended, but...

You could add something along the lines of,

Ex: ...I don't agree with your point of view.

All the best.

[bli gede]

Sorry, just trying to give a little smile to a puzzled Balinese (faino). the foreign bits mean, respectively:

alternatively (in the alternative) or

and

There are many others like this that can be used

[bli gede]

And the bit at the top (om suastiastu)

is the normal greeting, like "good day"

it means "in the name of the creator, may all be that is good in me be for you" which may explain why Bali is one of the nicer parts of the world.

[Casiopea]

That's very kind of you, and thank you for the translation. If you want to use a language other than English, that's fine. Just make sure to add in the translation so that your meaning is clear to everybody else.

All the best.

[bli gede]

Thanks. And of course, that's only polite.

Regards