I want guests to be coming over every day!

Marika33

Member
Joined
May 29, 2023
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Student or Learner
Native Language
Ukrainian
Home Country
Ukraine
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Netherlands
There's a family. The wife in this family only cleans the house when she hears that guests are coming over. The husband notices this and says, "You only clean when guests are coming over!". Can he after several seconds add this, "I want guests to be coming over every day (with proper intonation)!"?

Is it fine in this context? He doesn't actually want guests to come over every day, but to be coming over. Because only when his wife hears that guest are coming over, she cleans the house.
 
Is it fine in this context?
We use 'fine' with the meaning of 'satisfactory, acceptable' only in affirmative statements.

Has the husband in this family not thought of cleaning the house sometimes?

I suppose that the sentence you are asking about is possible, but it doesn't sound very natural to me.
 
Can he after several seconds add this, "I want guests to be coming over every day (with proper intonation)!"?

Is it fine in this context? He doesn't actually want guests to come over every day, but to be coming over. Because only when his wife hears that guest are coming over, she cleans the house.

Yes, exactly. That works very well in my opinion, for the precisely the reason you give.
 
Does he want her to have the house ready in case guests come by?

I guess you could say he wants her to act as if guests are coming over even when they are not.

Time will tell how well that works.
 
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