"dream it" without of and about

Question

I have known that the word dream is used with of or about but I have seen these sentences Who'd have dreamed it? They're getting married.Did it really happen or did I just dream it?And then 'dreaming something' is possible or of and about are needed but only it is okay to be put behind dream without of and about? Or I am dreaming a teacher or other nouns is okay to use or I am dreaming of being a teacher is only possible?What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much as usual in advance!

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

You can have 'dream of" or 'dream about' or 'dream that ...". I dreamed that I was the king of the universe.

You can use 'it' to represent the missing 'that'-clause.

Who'd have dreamed that they were getting married? > Who'd have dreamed it?
Did it really happen or did I just dream [that it happened / it].

CJ

Hans51 · Answer

Thank you so much and there is a saying, "If you can dream it, you can do it." and here the it in front refers to the it behind and then here it does not imply that clause, right? Or here the each it implies a different one or although this one is unnatural but acceptable? What do you think?

CalifJim · Answer

Hans51each it implies a different one

No. It's the same referent each time. The 'that' clause can be extremely vague: If you can dream that you will be successful, you can do it (be successful).

You must be aware, as well, that 'dream' is not literally dreaming while asleep in many of these cases. 'dream' can mean something more related to wishes or aspirations.

CJ

Hans51 · Answer

I am sorry but I am still confused.

The 'that' clause can be extremely vague

Does this mean that that clause we can put in the sentence is limitless? I still think that it in 'dream it' is just a noun ,not a sentence.

However, again, I have never seen something like 'dream a noun', except for 'it' and if the two its are the same, it is odd to put that clause instead of it in 'do it' like

it = that you will be successful

If you can dream that you will be successful, you can do that you will be successful.

I am sorry about not being smart with this issue but please help me out again. Could you give me your wise opinions again? Thank you so much as usual!

CalifJim · Answer

Hans51Does this mean that that clause we can put in the sentence is limitless?

Pretty much, because it's just something you imagine. If it makes sense in the context, you can invent any kind of paraphrase you want.

Hans51if the two its are the same, it is odd to put that clause instead of it in 'do it' like it = that you will be successful If you can dream that you will be successful, you can do that you will be successful.

No, you can't do that. You're taking my words too literally. The two 'it's in the original sentence have the same referent, but the equivalent 'that'-clause doesn't work as an exact substitute in both cases. When you have something like "do it", as in your example, this obviously means 'do whatever you dream', 'achieve your dream'. My reference to a 'that'-clause was simply to give you a way that usually works if you want to make a paraphrase. In this case, the paraphrase might be

If you wish for X, you can achieve X. ~ If you wish for something, you can achieve it.

However, if you understand the meaning of "dream it" already, you have no need of a paraphrase, so you don't need to make one.

Maybe it would help your understanding better to treat "dream it" as a special case, like an idiom, where "dream it" means "aspire to it" or "wish for it". Then you can just forget about paraphrases with 'that'-clauses.

CJ

"dream it" without of and about

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