fix the time
- Thread starter ostap77
- Start date
- Views : 17,189
- Status
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2006
- Location
- Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
- Member Type
- Retired English Teacher
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- UK
- Current Location
- UK
'When shall we do it? - Let's fix a time.' I think a native speaker would tend to decouple the two (the deciding and the fixing). Maybe it's something to do with using a 'home-grown' word for the main question, and then the Latinate 'fix' for the details...:-?
b
b
Last edited:
JMurray
Key Member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2010
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- New Zealand
- Current Location
- Australia
If I want to have a meeting on a certain date, is OK to ask "What day do we fix the time for? Any other suggestions?
ostap.
I would say something like:
"What day suits you?'
"What day's best?"
"Let's make a day"
"Do you want to fix a date?"
– or more formally, "What day is convenient (for you)?"
Then once the day is agreed on I would need to fix a time: "Noon?, 2:30?".
not a teacher
ostap.
I would say something like:
"What day suits you?'
"What day's best?"
"Let's make a day"
"Do you want to fix a date?"
– or more formally, "What day is convenient (for you)?"
Then once the day is agreed on I would need to fix a time: "Noon?, 2:30?".
not a teacher
ostap77
Key Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2010
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Ukrainian
- Home Country
- Ukraine
- Current Location
- Ukraine
Would this sound natural "Let's fix a time. Shall we?''?
birdeen's call
VIP Member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2010
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Polish
- Home Country
- Poland
- Current Location
- Poland
You could say, "Let's fix the time, shall we?" (We use a comma instead of a period, because there's no long pause there.)
It's not very common though.
ostap77
Key Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2010
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Ukrainian
- Home Country
- Ukraine
- Current Location
- Ukraine
Thanks. Why is it in BobK's post "Let's fix a time?"?
birdeen's call
VIP Member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2010
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Polish
- Home Country
- Poland
- Current Location
- Poland
Both sound OK to me. I would use "the", because it's "the time of our meeting" in my mind.
JMurray
Key Member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2010
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- New Zealand
- Current Location
- Australia
On further reflection I would say that "Let's set a date" and "Let's make a time" are possibly the most common forms in my environment.
I have certainly heard "Let's make a time, shall we?", but more frequently it would be the less formal "Let's make a time, OK?".
I have certainly heard "Let's make a time, shall we?", but more frequently it would be the less formal "Let's make a time, OK?".
- Status
