Many of our employees smile at potential clients <while thinking> vs <thinking> that they are arrogant jerks.

[Tony_M]

The examples are mine.

1. Many of our employees smile at potential clients while thinking that they are arrogant jerks.
2. Many of our employees smile at potential clients thinking that they are arrogant jerks.
3. Many of our employees smile at potential clients while they think that those people are arrogant jerks.

Which one/ones of these sentences would be the most idiomatic?

 

[jutfrank]

Idiomatic?

 

[Tony_M]

Idiomatic?

Yes, why?

 

[jutfrank]

Yes, why?

I'm asking what you mean because your question doesn't make sense to me. First of all, none of the three are idiomatic in any way, and second, idiomaticity isn't really a gradable notion.

Are you just asking which one to use?

 

[Tony_M]

I'm asking what you mean because your question doesn't make sense to me. First of all, none of the three are idiomatic in any way, and second, idiomaticity isn't really a gradable notion.

Are you just asking which one to use?

Forget, you always throw sand in the gears.

 

[jutfrank]

Let's stop the machine for a second. You don't want to know which ones are idiomatic. You probably simply want to know what's the best thing to say in order to express a thought that you have. To express a sense of contrastive simultaneity, I'd suggest this:

Many of our employees smile at potential clients while at the same time thinking they're arrogant jerks.

 

[teechar]

Idiomatic?

I'm asking what you mean because your question doesn't make sense to me.

I suppose the OP was asking which sentence sounds the most natural.
For our learners, see:

idiomatic

1. containing or consisting of an idiom: 2. containing expressions that are…

dictionary.cambridge.org

First of all, none of the three are idiomatic in any way,

I'm afraid I don't agree. The first one sounds quite natural to me and, in fact, is just another version of the sentence you suggested in post #6.

and second, idiomaticity isn't really a gradable notion.

It is if you consider "idiomatic" as meaning "natural".

 

[teechar]

1. Many of our employees smile at potential clients while thinking that they are arrogant jerks.

OK.

2. Many of our employees smile at potential clients thinking that they are arrogant jerks.

This can suggest that the employees smile at the clients because the employees think the clients are arrogant.

3. Many of our employees smile at potential clients while they think that those people are arrogant jerks.

That's not great. Use the first instead.

 

[teechar]

Forget, you always throw sand in the gears.

That's not grammatical and the meaning isn't clear either.
Perhaps you meant "Forget it! ... etc" or "I forget (that) ... etc".

 

[Annabel Lee]

The examples are mine.

1. Many of our employees smile at potential clients while thinking that they are arrogant jerks.
2. Many of our employees smile at potential clients thinking that they are arrogant jerks.
3. Many of our employees smile at potential clients while they think that those people are arrogant jerks.

Which one/ones of these sentences would be the most idiomatic?

Sentence (2) is my favorite, but it needs a comma before "thinking," especially since, without that comma, it is possible for "potential clients" to be the implied subject of "thinking": the employees smile at those clients who think they're arrogant.

Even setting aside that possible reading of (2), the seemingly intended meaning of all three seems highly unlikely. Do you really want to say that these employees think all potential clients are arrogant jerks? I suspect you mean to say:

4. Many of our employees smile at potential clients when they find them to be arrogant jerks.
5. Many of our employees smile at potential clients they think are arrogant jerks.

 

[jutfrank]

I suppose the OP was asking which sentence sounds the most natural.

I think that's quite possible, yes.

I'm afraid I don't agree. The first one sounds quite natural to me and, in fact, is just another version of the sentence you suggested in post #6.

Natural, yes, but none form part of any idiomatic expression.

It is if you consider "idiomatic" as meaning "natural".

Yes, right.

 

[5jj]

you always throw sand in the gears.

That is a rather unpleasant way of responding to a member who is trying to help you.