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English: I am yet to...ing vs I have yet | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages |  | |
| Gemuse Senior Member Germany Joined 4080 days ago 818 posts - 1189 votes  Speaks: English Studies: German | Message 9 of 26 22 May 2014 at 2:38am | IP Logged | |||||
"I'm" sounds wrong to me.
For me there is a slight difference. I would use "still have to" when I am supposed to do something, in the very near future. -- I still have to do the laundry. "yet to" more in something that has never happened to me -- I have yet to see a unicorn. I may something use yet in place of still (sounds a bit flowery though): --I have yet to do the laundry today. But only in some circumstances, eg the following sounds wrong: --I have yet to do the laundry before I go to bed. Correct: I still have to do the laundry before I go to bed. Edited by Gemuse on 22 May 2014 at 2:41am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| 1e4e6 Octoglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4288 days ago 1013 posts - 1588 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Dutch, Swedish, Italian Studies: German, Danish, Russian, Catalan | Message 10 of 26 22 May 2014 at 3:02am | IP Logged | |||||
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"I have yet to do the washing before I go to bed" sounds fine to me. "I have yet to"
feels like there is a lower necessity, whilst "I still have to" indicates something that must be done whether one wants to do so or not, or someone else obligates the speaker to do so, and possibly with haste. I still have to finish with revision -> Exam week starts tomorrow, know nothing and am in mess. I have yet to finish with revision -> Exam week starts in one month, I am 80% done, but I have some time anyway so I might go to Blackwells to browse the foreign language section. Also, "I never hear "laundry", but rather "the washing" or "washing". Edited by 1e4e6 on 22 May 2014 at 3:11am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Gemuse Senior Member Germany Joined 4080 days ago 818 posts - 1189 votes Speaks: English Studies: German | Message 11 of 26 22 May 2014 at 12:29pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Another thing learned.
The laundry vs washing must be US vs UK thing. I have never heard "washing", only "laundry". 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| patrickwilken Senior Member Germany radiant-flux.net Joined 4531 days ago 1546 posts - 3200 votes Studies: German | Message 12 of 26 22 May 2014 at 1:20pm | IP Logged | |||||
The distinction is subtle, but I think HAVE implies that the action hasn't yet, but is expected to occur at a future point; whereas AM does not carry with it the expectation that the future action will occur. So: UPS has yet to deliver a package (hasn't yet, but is expected to do so) UPS is yet to deliver a package (hasn't yet, and there is no expectation it will - perhaps due to incompetence). Or more poetic: The clouds have yet to deliver the promised rain (i.e., rain was promised, it hasn't happened yet, but it is expected to happen) The clouds are yet to deliver the promised rain (i.e., rain was promised, but hasn't happened yet and may not). Edited by patrickwilken on 22 May 2014 at 1:24pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Via Diva Diglot Senior Member Russian Federation last.fm/user/viadivaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4232 days ago 1109 posts - 1427 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German, Italian, French, Swedish, Esperanto, Czech, Greek | Message 13 of 26 22 May 2014 at 1:33pm | IP Logged | |||||
Sounds pretty much like my implication. I meant that I'd try to to get used to watching movies without subtitles, not that I have to do it or that it definitely will happen. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6595 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 14 of 26 22 May 2014 at 1:45pm | IP Logged | |||||
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That's how I understood it too :)
1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6595 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 15 of 26 22 May 2014 at 4:05pm | IP Logged | |||||
What about "I'm yet to"? Patrick, as far as I remember you're Australian? Seems like "I'm yet to" has become uncommon in American English (what about the past tense form?), but not necessarily in other varieties of English. Edited by Serpent on 22 May 2014 at 4:05pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| patrickwilken Senior Member Germany radiant-flux.net Joined 4531 days ago 1546 posts - 3200 votes Studies: German | Message 16 of 26 22 May 2014 at 5:52pm | IP Logged | |||||
Yes, I am Australian - though I did live for a few years both in the UK and USA, which confuses my English a little. I don't see a problem with "I'm yet to", though it's less frequent than the "I've yet" construction. I'm yet to be disappointed with the food at this restaurant sounds find to me, and perhaps sounds like a better endorsement than I've yet to be disappointed with the food at this restaurant. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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