Number of family members - We total five..
Hi
In India, we have the concept of a Joint family system where a married man stays with his wife and kid, in his parents' home.
So, if such a man were to answer the question - how many people stay in your house, would it be correct for him to say something like "We are three, and along with my dad and mom, we total five."
The above is a translation of the way we say it in our mother tongue. I just want to know if the grammar and choice of words are correct in English.
Thank you.
Top answer
The construction "we are [number]" is not a typical English construction, though it is understandable. The better way to do this in English is to use a "there are" construction: There are three of us, and counting my mom and dad, the total is five. 1) 'and along with' is also correct as you have it.
- The construction "we are [number]" is not a typical English construction, though it is understandable.
- The better way to do this in English is to use a "there are" construction: There are three of us, and counting my mom and dad, the total is five.
- 1) 'and along with' is also correct as you have it.
- 2) 'my dad and mom' is also correct as you have it, but in English we almost always put 'mom' first when mentioning both parents.
- 3) 'we total five' is not incorrect.
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The construction "we are [number]" is not a typical English construction, though it is understandable.
The better way to do this in English is to use a "there are" construction:
There are three of us, and counting my mom and dad, the total is five.
1) 'and along with' is also correct as you have it.
2) 'my dad and mom' is also correct as you have it, but in English
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