you can cater for fifty or so people at one time/at a time/at the same time.

[thehammer]

Is there any difference between the following phrase?

1- There aren't many places around here where you can cater for fifty or so people at one time/at a time/at the same time.

 

[Barque]

The most natural would be "at a time" and then "at one time". I wouldn't use "at the same time".

But there's another problem with the sentence. Tell us what you're talking about and what you mean by "places" and "cater" please.

Please always provide context. We can't always know what you're thinking. And even a small difference in context can make a significant difference to wording.

 

[jutfrank]

It's very hard for me to understand your questions, thehammer.

When you ask your questions, are you asking us for the best way of expressing what you want to say? Or are your questions really attempts to understand how to use certain words and phrases properly? Tell us what you're trying to do.

 

[thehammer]

It's very hard for me to understand your questions, the hammer.

When you ask your questions, are you asking us for the best way of expressing what you want to say? Or are your questions really attempts to understand how to use certain words and phrases properly? Tell us what you're trying to do.

I want to know the usage of those words.

 

[emsr2d2]

I want to know the usage of those words.

Which words?

 

[thehammer]

The most natural would be "at a time" and then "at one time". I wouldn't use "at the same time".

But there's another problem with the sentence. Tell us what you're talking about and what you mean by "places" and "cater" please.

Please always provide context. We can't always know what you're thinking. And even a small difference in context can make a significant difference to wording.

I mean the area and the infrastructure were not enough to make food for that many people.

 

[thehammer]

Which words?

One time, a time and the same time.

 

[emsr2d2]

Do you mean that the spaces aren't big enough for fifty people or that the cooking staff at those places are unable to cook for fifty people?

I see no need for any of your choices. There simply aren't many places that are able to cater to/for fifty people. It's clear that you mean that those fifty people would all be there at the same time.

 

[Barque]

I mean the area and the infrastructure were not enough to make food for that many people.

There aren't many places around here that can cater to fifty people at a time.

I'm assuming that by "places", you mean restaurants, and by "cater", you mean "serve" or "handle".

 

[jutfrank]

I want to know the usage of those words.

Okay, well, in that case your questions are all wrong.

Is there any difference between the following phrase?

This is not what you want to ask.

There aren't many places around here where you can cater for fifty or so people at one time/at a time/at the same time.

If you give us an example sentence like this that you've made up, many of us will assume you're trying to say something in particular and will attempt to say it in a better way for you, sometimes not using any of the words you want to know. That's not what you're asking of us, right?

I don't think you should be trying to make up example sentences at all. If you want to know how to use a word or phrase, find some authentic examples by native speakers, or some examples that have been made up by teachers, and study them. Don't do it yourself.

Or, if there's a thought that you have in mind and you want to know how best to say it, make sure you try hard to tell us exactly what you mean, and in what context you want to say it.

 

[Tarheel]

Maybe it's different there, but in my experience we cater events, not people. You could say the hall doesn't seat 50 people, but there are supposed to be that many people at the event. (That's not the caterer's problem.) If the organizers of the event overbooked the hall they created a problem for themselves.

 

[Barque]

The phrase "cater to" can mean "accommodate" (in context).