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Reegis Posted 5 years ago
Grammar

Can you tell me the "right" time?

Hello.

Please have a look at the following sentence:

Can you tell me the right time?

I would say it is extremely basic, but for some reason I am not sure what it means. I sense it might have more than one meaning. What come to my mind are the following interpretations:

1) Can you tell me the correct time? Maybe previously you said the wrong time and now I want to hear the correct one.
2) Can you tell me the exact time?
If it is 8:59, then I would like to hear this exact number, not 9:00.
3) Can you tell me (what is) the right time (to do something)?
The moment when I should do something and the answer could be this: The right time for you to leave and don't miss the train is 15:30.

Are my suspicions correct and are the above meanings possible?
What meaning would come to your mind when you heard such a sentence out of the blue when walking on the street?

  

Top answer

". It does not have to imply that an incorrect time was previously given. "right" can be a bit redundant, since it is obvious, but some people might say it anyway.

— GPY

  • ".
  • It does not have to imply that an incorrect time was previously given.
  • "right" can be a bit redundant, since it is obvious, but some people might say it anyway.
  • " may seem to imply that you know that the other person knows the time.
  • g.
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2 Answers
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Normally it means "Can you tell me the correct time?". It does not have to imply that an incorrect time was previously given. "right" can be a bit redundant, since it is obvious, but some people might say it anyway.

"Can you tell me the (right) time?" may seem to imply that you know that the other person knows the time. Normally I would ask e.g. "Do you have the time, please?" or "Do you

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Reegis1) Can you tell me the correct time? Maybe previously you said the wrong time and now I want to hear the correct one.

Right, if I understand you. Say I tell my friend, "It's five after eight", but it is really ten after. He might say "You have the wrong time." I might answer "OK, then, can you tell me the right time?"

Reegis
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