How far is it to the nearest supermarket?

[GoodTaste]

Supposed that I've newly arrived at a small town in the US, I ask a man on the street:"How far is it to the nearest supermarket?"

Does my expression "How far is it to the nearest supermarket?" sound natural?

Should it simply be "How far is the nearest supermarket?"

 

[teechar]

Suppose [1] that I've [STRIKE]newly[/STRIKE] recently arrived at a small town in the US, [2] and I ask a man on the street:"How far is it to the nearest supermarket?"

Does my expression "How far is it to the nearest supermarket?" sound natural?

Should it simply be "How far is the nearest supermarket?"

Both sound okay to me, but let's see what AmE speakers say.
[1]: "Suppose" is in the imperative. It means imagine.
[2]: Without the "and", you have a comma splice error.

 

[GoodTaste]

Regarding the use of "supposed" and "newly":

(1) Supposed: imagined
(2) Newly: adv.
recently;
lately:
a newly married couple.

(Source: Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English)

Cambridge Dictionary: newly: recently.

So I am not sure why "newly" should be edited into "recently". And why "supposed/imagined" is incorrect there.

 

[emsr2d2]

"newly" would sound OK there if it were followed by a form of "be".

I have recently arrived ...
I am newly arrived ...

 

[tedmc]

"newly" would sound OK there if it were followed by a form of "be".

I have recently arrived ...
I am newly arrived ...

I am newly arrived - does't this sound strange?
I am a new arrival -This sounds better to me.
Easier to say: I have just arrived.

I think recently is relative; it can mean a few days to a few weeks.

 

[emsr2d2]

I am newly arrived - doesn't this sound strange?

If I thought it sounded strange, do you think I would have suggested it?

 

[GoodTaste]

If I thought it sounded strange, do you think I would have suggested it?

It sounds natural to me and I like it more than "I have recently arrived." Because it is terser.

What I don't understand is why "supposed" is wrong in the phrase "Supposed that I'm newly arrived." To me it is the equvalent of "It is supposed."

 

[SoothingDave]

You'd probably ask "where is the nearest supermarket?"

 

[Tdol]

I am newly arrived - does't this sound strange?

I don't think many would use it, but it sounds OK to me.

 

[emsr2d2]

It sounds natural to me and I like it more than "I have recently arrived (no full stop here)" because it is terser.

What I don't understand is why "supposed" is wrong in the phrase "Supposed that I'm newly arrived." To me it is the equivalent of "It is supposed."

It's not the equivalent of "It is supposed". It's an imperative. "[I want you to] suppose that ...", meaning "[I want you to] imagine that ...".

 

[Skrej]

Does my expression "How far is it to the nearest supermarket?" sound natural?
Should it simply be "How far is the nearest supermarket?"

They're okay, but for a random encounter on the street, Dave's suggestion in post #8 is more natural. Your versions would be more natural if asking about the distance from some third reference point. For example, if I were asking questions about a potential rental, I might ask the landlord or manager your version.