"Excited for you to do something"

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mtbrg

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Joined
Jun 16, 2010
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Student or Learner
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Australia
Current Location
Australia
Hi there,
While I was watching an episode of an American TV show, I heard the term
"the kids are excited for you to come home". To my Br-English ear, it sounded a little unnatural to me. I thought it should have been "excited that your coming home" or "excited about you/your coming home". After a little thought however, I realised that we do say "happy for you to do something" . So my question is, is the construction "excited for you + infinitive" grammatical or is it just idiomatic in America? and if it is grammatical, is any construction with an "adjective + for you to" considered grammatical?(delighted, sad etc) Again, other words besides "happy" in the "for you to" construction seem a little unnatural to me.

Regards,
Matt
 
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lauralie2

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2009
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
China
As an example of standard English, it sounds odd to me too. (It sounds like something a Spanish speaker of English would say.)
 
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