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Tinanam0102 Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

I was just kidding with

Hi teachers,

1. I'd like to know the difference:

I was just kidding with you
I was just kidding you

2. Is 'I was just kidding' same as 'I was just joking'

Thanks
TN
  

Top answer

"I was just kidding you" -- I was trying to deceive/mislead you in a light-hearted way "I was just joking/kidding" -- What I said was not meant seriously "I was just joking with you" -- To me, this literally this means that we were having a joke together, and in that sense is a somewhat unusual thing to say because the addressee already knows it. A more likely use of "joking with" would be, say, "The guys were joking with each other". However, no doubt some people use "I was just joking with you" to mean either of the above, or some blend of the above.

— GPY

  • "I was just kidding you" -- I was trying to deceive/mislead you in a light-hearted way "I was just joking/kidding" -- What I said was not meant seriously "I was just joking with you" -- To me, this literally this means that we were having a joke together, and in that sense is a somewhat unusual thing to say because the addressee already knows it.
  • A more likely use of "joking with" would be, say, "The guys were joking with each other".
  • However, no doubt some people use "I was just joking with you" to mean either of the above, or some blend of the above.
  • "I was just kidding with you" -- To me, this is not idiomatic.
  • Probably some people say it, however.
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4 Answers
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"I was just kidding you" -- I was trying to deceive/mislead you in a light-hearted way
"I was just joking/kidding" -- What I said was not meant seriously
"I was just joking with you" -- To me, this literally this means that we were having a joke together, and in that sense is a somewhat unusual thing to say because the addressee already knows it. A more likely use of "joking with" would be
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Hi GPY,

Thanks for the help. Is 'I was just kidding you' same as 'I was just kidding'?

Thanks
TN
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tinanam0102Thanks for the help. Is 'I was just kidding you' same as 'I was just kidding'?
The target of "I was just kidding" does not have to be "you", of course. When it is "you", they are usually pretty similar in intent, but I think that including "you" emphasises the idea of "trying to deceive/mislead you (lightheartedly)" versus simply making a non-seriou
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Hi GPY,

Thanks for clarifying the sentences.
TN
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