You can't hit
Son: I don't want to hit anyone.
Dad: No, I understand. But just call me then, and I'll come and do it for you, alright?
Son: You can't hit, Dad.
Dad: I/You can't?
1. Is "You can't hit" natural or would you expect "You can't hit someone/anyone" instead?
2. Would "can't" be taken to mean "you're not allowed/supposed to hit"/"It's not OK to hit"? (which is what I want it to mean)
3. In this context, would "You" be more likely to mean "YOU (the dad)", so the dad's following line should be "I can't? or "no one" so the dad's following line should be "You can't?"?
Thanks.
Top answer
anonymous 1. Is "You can't hit" natural or would you expect "You can't hit someone/anyone" instead? It sounds like he is repeating what he has been told over and over, maybe by his mother.
- anonymous 1.
- Is "You can't hit" natural or would you expect "You can't hit someone/anyone" instead?
- It sounds like he is repeating what he has been told over and over, maybe by his mother.
- A mother would say "Don't hit" to a kid who was hitting people.
- The boy's intransitive use is indeed unusual, as you sensed, but it is justified by context.
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anonymous1. Is "You can't hit" natural or would you expect "You can't hit someone/anyone" instead?
It sounds like he is repeating what he has been told over and over, maybe by his mother. A mother would say "Don't hit" to a kid who was hitting people. The boy's intransitive use is indeed unusual, as you sensed, but it is justified by context.
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