She's different than/as me ?

[ph2004]

Are these correct sentences : "She's different than/as me", wanting to express that's she's not like me ?

 

[Mehrgan]

Are these correct sentences : "She's different than/as me", wanting to express that's she's not like me ?

Hi,
I don't think "as" would be a normal usage.

You can say,
A is different from B. (the most common usage)
A is different to B. (Mostly used in BrE)
A is different than B. (Mostly used in AmE)



***not a teacher***

 

[birdeen's call]

"As" is incorrect. Some people will tell you that neither is "than", but some other people will tell you that "than" is OK. If you don't want to be controversial, you can use "from".

I'm not sure if native speakers feel the same, but I would expect something after

She's different from me.

For example,

She's different from me in that she wears trousers.

or,

She's different from me in many ways.

If I didn't want to add anything, I would just say your sentence,

She's not like me.

But please note that I'm not a native speaker and I'm not completely sure about it. (*)

(*) I am sure about my not being a native speaker. ;-) I'm not sure about my feelings toward the sentence in question.

 

[FoxySmart]

Are these correct sentences : "She's different than/as me", wanting to express that's she's not like me ?

I think that when you want to express that A is not like you, you should use "than" or "from". When you'd use "as" it may mean that A is different from others just like you. Use of "to" would made you say that A changed something in herself that makes you think she's different than before.

However, I'm not a teacher so I may be wrong in my way of thinking. If so I would love to be righted

 

[5jj]

I think that when you want to express that A is not like you, you should use "than" or "from". When you'd use "as" it may mean that A is different from others just like you. Use of "to" would made you say that A changed something in herself that makes you think she's different than before.

Read Mehrgan's and Birdeen's Call's posts again.

BC and Mehrgan are not native speakers, as they say, but they are usually right - as they are in this case.

There is no difference between from, to an than. Different speakers use different words. As is not possible here, though you could say:

She is different (from/than/to other people), as I am.

BC wrote: "I'm not sure if native speakers feel the same, but I would expect something after She's different from me."

I agree that we usually have some idea of what the difference is, but it need not be made explicit in the sentence:

Luke: Mary is so sympathetic;
Emma: Yes. She is different from/than/to me.

 

[birdeen's call]

You're right, 5jj, though I still think there is a slight difference in usage between

She's different from me.

and

She's not like me.

only I can't get it right. Do you think there is a difference too? What is it?

 

[5jj]

To me, She's different from me implies a stronger sense of difference, while She's not like me more simply points out a lack of similarity. At the extremes (#1 and #2 below) we can have:

1. She's different from me. I couldn't tell a lie to save my life, and she doesn't know what 'truth' is.

2. She's not like me. I simply have to tell the truth as I see it, but she will tell the odd white lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings.

In #3 and #4, the only difference is the speaker's feeling. In #3, she feels the difference more strongly than in #4:

3. She's different from me. She likes sport, while I prefer more leisurely activities.
4. She's not like me. She likes sport, while I prefer more leisurely activities.

However, I have a sneaking suspicion that I have tried to convince myself that there is a difference when, in reality, there isn't.

 

[ph2004]

However, I have a sneaking suspicion that I have tried to convince myself that there is a difference when, in reality, there isn't.

Nevertheless much appreciated !