[General] Are you good in (at) English?

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JarekSteliga

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Can people be good/bad etc. IN English? Or should it be "AT" English (after the fashion of "good at maths etc.")? Or is the expression altogether wrong and should be replaced with, "Is your English good/bad etc?"?
 

probus

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To be good or bad at something, in my opinion, is far more natural than in something.

However, to be good at something connotes a good ability to learn as opposed to an accomplishment.

So for example, you might be good at English as a beginning student, even though your English was at that point still relatively poor. But if somebody says "Your English is good", that indicates an accomplishment rather than an ability to learn.
 
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JarekSteliga

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
To be good or bad at something, in my opinion, is far more natural than in something.

However, to be good at something connotes a good ability to learn as opposed to an accomplishment.

So for example, you might be good at English as a beginning student, even though your English was at that point still relatively poor. But if somebody says "Your English is good", that indicates an accomplishment rather than an ability to learn.

Thank you. I hardly expected this humble topic to be pregnant with such wealth of meaning :shock:
 
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