What are you going to do tonight?

[BestBuddy]

Sorry for bringing the same topic again, but I really wonder. If somebody asks you, "What are you going to do tonight?" is it OK to answer with "I'm going to read a book" saying about the book that you've already started and will probably not finish tonight? Or "What will you do tonight?" "I think I'll read a book"

 

[5jj]

I really wonder. If somebody asks you, "What are you going to do tonight?" is it OK to answer with "I'm going to read a book" saying about the book that you've already started and will probably not finish tonight? Or "What will you do tonight?" "I think I'll read a book"

There is no suggestion that you have already started the book. Only the speaker knows how likely it is that they will finish the book.

 

[BestBuddy]

There is no suggestion that you have already started the book. Only the speaker knows how likely it is that they will finish the book.

I don't want to add the suggestion of starting the book already. I just wonder if it is OK to say that even if you have already started and will not probably finish it "tonight".

 

[5jj]

It is.

 

[Tarheel]

Sorry for bringing up the same topic again, but I really wonder. If somebody asks you, "What are you going to do tonight?" is it OK to answer with "I'm going to read a book" meaning that you've already started it and will probably not finish tonight? Or "What will you do tonight?" "I think I'll read a book"

We don't know from that if the person has already started the book or not.

 

[Tarheel]

I don't want to add the suggestion of starting the book already. I just wonder if it is OK to say that even if you have already started and will probably not finish it "tonight".

 

[BestBuddy]

We don't know from that if the person has already started the book or not.

I didn't say I wanted to mean that. I just wanted to mean that I was not going to finish it that evening. You changed my words incorrectly above.

 

[emsr2d2]

I didn't say I wanted to mean that. I just wanted to mean that I was not going to finish it that evening. You changed my words incorrectly above.

If you want to make it clear that you're not going to finish it, you'll have to say so.

"I'm going to read a book" could mean you haven't started it, are about to finish it, or anything in between.

 

[Tarheel]

I didn't say I wanted to mean that. I just wanted to mean that I was not going to finish it that evening. You changed my words incorrectly above.

It was originally not probably finish it ....

 

[emsr2d2]

Sorry for bringing up the same topic again, but I'm really wondering about something.

If somebody asks you no comma here "What are you going to do tonight?", is it OK to answer with "I'm going to read a book" saying about the book if you want to say that you've already started the book and will probably not finish it tonight? Or

Is "What will you do tonight?" "I think I'll read a book" also OK in answer to the same question.

Note my corrections above.

 

[BestBuddy]

If you want to make it clear that you're not going to finish it, you'll have to say so.

"I'm going to read a book" could mean you haven't started it, are about to finish it, or anything in between.

My (and many others' speaking Russian/Ukrainian) problem is that when we say infinitives in our language we know just from it whether we will read something completely or not (почитать to read (not necessarily completely) прочитать - to read completely). English doesn't have those distinctions so it is sometimes difficult to speak grammatically correct. That's why I asked that question. Somebody asks me, "What are you going to do tonight?" and in my native language I would use the verb form "почитать", because I don't have a strong intention to finish something that I will read tonight.

 

[BestBuddy]

Note my corrections above.

You've changed the meaning of my words. That's not what I wanted to say.

 

[emsr2d2]

My (and many others' speaking Russian/Ukrainian) problem is that when we say infinitives in our language we know just from it whether we will read something completely or not (почитать to read (not necessarily completely) прочитать - to read completely). English doesn't have those distinctions so it is sometimes difficult to speak grammatically correct. That's why I asked that question. Somebody asks me, "What are you going to do tonight?" and in my native language I would use the verb form "почитать", because I don't have a strong intention to finish it tonight.

You're right that we don't have different words to mean "read", "start to read", "finish reading" and "read from start to finish". You have to express your meaning yourself.

I'm going to read a book = (as I said in post #8) could mean you're going to start it, finish it, or anything in between.
I'm going to start reading a [new] book = You're going to read a book, starting at page 1. We don't know how much of it you'll read.
I'm going to finish [reading] a book = You've definitely already started reading it and you plan to finish it tonight.

 

[BestBuddy]

You're right that we don't have different words to mean "read", "start to read", "finish reading" and "read from start to finish". You have to express your meaning yourself.

I'm going to read a book = (as I said in post #8) could mean you're going to start it, finish it, or anything in between.
I'm going to start reading a [new] book = You're going to read a book, starting at page 1. We don't know how much of it you'll read.
I'm going to finish [reading] a book = You've definitely already started reading it and you plan to finish it tonight.

"or anything in between" such a needed phrase to make everything in Enlgish grammar easier.

 

[emsr2d2]

"or anything in between". This is such a much-needed phrase to make everything in all English grammar easier.