"Don't you dare look at me"

[GoodTaste]

Does "Don't you dare look at me" mean "How dare you look at me"?

What is the difference between "Don't you dare look at me" and "Do you dare look at me"? I can't tell for now.

-------------------------- [FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]In his account of the assault, Mr Mok described how, as he turned to face the group, one of the men said: "Don't you dare look at me", before launching an attack.

Source: From Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...et-singapore-china-jonathan-mok-a9381736.html

 

[Yankee]

Does "Don't you dare look at me" mean "How dare you look at me"? Yes.

What is the difference between "Don't you dare look at me" and "Do you dare look at me"? I can't tell for now. "Do you dare etc." would be more poetic than heard.

--------------------------
In his account of the assault, Mr Mok described how, as he turned to face the group, one of the men said: "Don't you dare look at me", before launching an attack.

Source: From Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...et-singapore-china-jonathan-mok-a9381736.html

Yankee

 

[Tarheel]

The phrase which was actually used makes the most sense as a prelude to a physical assault (which it was).

 

[emsr2d2]

"Don't you dare ..." is an emphatic way of simply saying "Don't ...".

 

[GoesStation]

"Don't you dare ..." is an emphatic way of simply saying "Don't ...".

And it's not the same as "how dare you!" You use "Don't you dare" as a warning. "How dare you!" is a response to an offensive act.

 

[GoodTaste]

And it's not the same as "how dare you!" You use "Don't you dare" as a warning. "How dare you!" is a response to an offensive act.

Does "Do you dare look at me" work the same way as "Don't you dare look at me"?

 

[probus]

No. I've been unable to think of circumstances in which a person would say "Do you dare look at me" except as a question, and such a question would probably occur only in the most breathless fiction :-D

 

[GoodTaste]

No. I've been unable to think of circumstances in which a person would say "Do you dare look at me" except as a question, and such a question would probably occur only in the most breathless fiction :-D

Doesn't "Don't you dare look at me?" look like a question too? I can't understand the nuance for now.

 

[emsr2d2]

It only looks like a question if you put a question mark at the end. With an exclamation mark at the end, it's clearly an imperative.

 

[GoesStation]

Don't you dare look at me! is "Don't dare look at me" with you added for emphasis.

 

[GoodTaste]

Don't you dare look at me! is "Don't dare look at me" with you added for emphasis.

It only looks like a question if you put a question mark at the end. With an exclamation mark at the end, it's clearly an imperative.

Sorry. There appears to be something elusive here that I can't get a clear picture from your explanations.

Because by the same token, you can put an exclamation mark at the end to make "Do you dare look at me!" imperative.

I think that contural difference may have played a role here in understanding.
In China, a street thug would howl at a victim with "You dare look at me?!" (I translated this from Chinese directly into English) The logic here is: If a victim chickened out then the victim would have no nerve to look at the attacker eye to eye. (Imaging in ancient China, in front of the emperor, subjects were always bending with eye staring at the floor to show respect for their ruler). So to a thug, looking directly into the eye is provoctive.

Now let us retake a look at the expression: "Don't you dare look at me?"

It is exactly the opposite of "Do you dare look at me!" So it ("Don't you dare look at me?") sounds exactly the opposite to me: You don't have the nerve to look at me and so you've showed a gesture of surrender and I will let you go.

So it is a mess for understanding. For "Don't you dare look at me?" serves as an warning in English and with shouting out the expression, the English thug attacked the Singaporean.

 

[jutfrank]

So it is a mess for understanding.

Yes, you've confused interrogatives with imperatives.

Don't you dare look at me! (This is not a question. It is an order, telling the listener to stop looking.)

Do you dare look at me? (This is a question. I believe it is the translation of the Chinese phrase you're thinking of.)

Don't you dare look at me? (This question is not possible in English.)

 

[GoodTaste]

OK. The sequence of the words in "Don't you dare look at me!" appears to be a question unresolved.

Is "Don't you dare look at me!" the emphatic form of "You do not dare look at me!" (The euphemistic form is "You are not allowed to look at me." And the polite form is "Please don't look at me."?)

 

[jutfrank]

OK. The sequence of the words in "Don't you dare look at me!" appears to be a question unresolved.

Right. This is what is/was confusing you.

Is "Don't you dare look at me!" the emphatic form of "You do not dare look at me!" (The euphemistic form is "You are not allowed to look at me." And the polite form is "Please don't look at me."?)

Don't (you) dare look at me! is the imperative form of You don't dare look at me! The inclusion of the subject you creates a more personally-directed, and hence more threatening, effect.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Do you dare look at me" isn't an imperative even with an exclamation mark at the end. Positive imperatives start with a verb. Negative imperatives start with "Don't + verb".

 

[GoesStation]

Negative imperatives start with "Don't + verb".

Or "Don't + you + verb", as in the thread's original sentence.

 

[GoodTaste]

Don't (you) dare look at me! is the imperative form of You don't dare look at me! The inclusion of the subject you creates a more personally-directed, and hence more threatening, effect.

OK. So the English culture (EC) seems to be the opposite of the Chinese culture (CC).

Now I am trying to understand the EC.

In CC "Don't you dare look at me!" (Literally it means to me "You don't have the courage to look at me!" That is, your courage is lost - Do I understand the English correctly? If not, I am ready to stand corrected) shows you've lost your spirit and surrendered. "A great beast like tiger doesn't eat the meat who surrenders" - It is a traditional Chinese rule. So the expression "Don't you dare look at me!" sounds more contemptuous rather than threatening in CC.

Why does it sound threadtening in EC. I don't know.

 

[Tarheel]

"Don't you dare look at me!" is a threat. And it's more than that. It's a challenge.

Abe: Don't you dare look at me!
Bob: I'll look at you if I want to. Who do you think you are anyway?

Things deteriorate from that point.

It's irrelevant what it means in Chinese. Don't say that unless you're prepared for the consequences.

 

[GoodTaste]

OK. Now I've felt a threatening sense in "Don't you dare look at me!"

Supposed an English-Chinese who is still not able to speak perfect English, inerdvertently speaking Chinglish to an English man:

Chinglish:"Do you dare look at me!" (It is threatening in Chinese)

What the English man would react or understand it? Feeling it funny rather than threatening?

 

[GoesStation]

Chinglish:"Do you dare look at me!" (It is threatening in Chinese)

What the English man would react or understand it? Feeling it funny rather than threatening?

Facial expression and tone of voice can convey a lot of information. Presumably the Chinese man would look and feel threatening and would be perceived as such.