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Gamboler Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary
If I say the contrary...
Is it correct?
If I say that I don't care, I will look rude. And if I say the contrary [opposite], too.
This is what I want to mean: If I say "I don't care", I'll look rude, if I say "I care", I'll look rude, too. Does the first sentence (the one in bold type) have sense just putting the word too at the end? Is there a better way to express the same idea?
If I say that I don't care, I will look rude. And if I say the contrary [opposite], too.
This is what I want to mean: If I say "I don't care", I'll look rude, if I say "I care", I'll look rude, too. Does the first sentence (the one in bold type) have sense just putting the word too at the end? Is there a better way to express the same idea?
Top answer
It depends on the tone of voice and the context: Waiter: Do you want peas or carrots as your vegetable? Roberto: I don't care. I like both vegetables.
- It depends on the tone of voice and the context: Waiter: Do you want peas or carrots as your vegetable?
- Roberto: I don't care.
- I like both vegetables.
- Which do you recommend?
- Mother: If you don't eat all your peas, little children will stave in India.
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8 Answers
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It depends on the tone of voice and the context:
Waiter: Do you want peas or carrots as your vegetable?
Roberto: I don't care. I like both vegetables. Which do you recommend?
Mother: If you don't eat all your peas, little children will stave in India.
Rude child: I don't care! I hate peas!
I cannot think of a context where "I care." is rude.
Waiter: Do you want peas or carrots as your vegetable?
Roberto: I don't care. I like both vegetables. Which do you recommend?
Mother: If you don't eat all your peas, little children will stave in India.
Rude child: I don't care! I hate peas!
I cannot think of a context where "I care." is rude.
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AlpheccaStars, thanks, but it was not my doubt.
I didn't want to know if saying "I don't care" is rude or not. My question was about the grammar of the sentence, especially if I can place the word too at the end ommiting the rest, as indicated.
The sentence is: "If I say I don't care, I'll look rude, and if I say the contrary, too" (meaning that if I say the oppos
I didn't want to know if saying "I don't care" is rude or not. My question was about the grammar of the sentence, especially if I can place the word too at the end ommiting the rest, as indicated.
The sentence is: "If I say I don't care, I'll look rude, and if I say the contrary, too" (meaning that if I say the oppos
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The real problem here is that there isn't really an opposite to a simple "I don't care", "I care" is not used in that way.
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Ok, fivejedjon. I understand your point.
But, look, I need a fine translation of the sentence implying that "if he says it's important for him" (not that "he cares"), the other person would think he's rude too. It's the subtitle of a movie, I can't change the words, just try to find a good translation having sense in English.
But, look, I need a fine translation of the sentence implying that "if he says it's important for him" (not that "he cares"), the other person would think he's rude too. It's the subtitle of a movie, I can't change the words, just try to find a good translation having sense in English.
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Look at this paragraph:
"I just don't care. I was recently listening to a friend lament the fact that he hadn't bought new clothes in a long time and, as such, he felt he wasn't dressing well. For most people, this would have been a cue to reassure him that he looked just fine. But Friend Number 2, who is one of the most authentically truthful people I know, cocked her head and asked,
"I just don't care. I was recently listening to a friend lament the fact that he hadn't bought new clothes in a long time and, as such, he felt he wasn't dressing well. For most people, this would have been a cue to reassure him that he looked just fine. But Friend Number 2, who is one of the most authentically truthful people I know, cocked her head and asked,
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gambolerI googled the web and found it a minute ago, so somebody uses "I did care" in spite of what you said.If you care to believe that"I care" is used as the oppositerof "I don't care"as a response to something that's said, fine. I see little point, however, in my offering any further thoughts on this.
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If I say that I don't care, I will look rude. And also if I say the contrary [opposite].
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gambolerIs it correct? If I say that I don't care, I will look rude. And if I say the contrary [opposite], too.No. There's something wrong there. It might be a little better with "... the opposite as well", but I think most natives would rephrase as:
I'll look rude whether I say X or not X, i.e.,
I'll look rude whether I say I care or I
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