Missing a word here in the English!

Bonnie Y.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Missing a word here in the English!

Asked 6 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Bonjour à tous !

So, what we have here is one of the many UK vs US cases :)
Indeed, in the UK, you colloquially say mine or yours meaning 'place/house', but to my knowledge, Americans would not say it.
Having now lived in England for 13 years (most of it with an English partner!), I sometimes inadvertently slip into colloquialisms, but thanks to your eagle eye, I've now updated the example's phrasing :)

Merci encore et bonne journée !

Bonnie Y.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Il est repassé par chez toi mais tu étais déjà parti.
He came back by your(s) [house/place] but you had left already.
CécileKwiziq team member

Hi Bonnie,

Does not 'yours' mean your house in every day speech ?

Bonnie Y.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Not without comparison. My place and yours.
Don C.B1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I agree with Bonnie. If I were to suddenly say, "Let's go to yours", my friend would answer, "My what?" It has sounded very peculiar in other examples provided in various lessons, but I decided to overlook it. However, if someone is pointing it out and someone else is suggesting that it is normal, then I must say something. 

I could say, "Let's go to my house. On second thought, let's go to yours." But "yours" by itself is not specific enough. "Your place", "Your dad's place", "Your work", "Your playground", "Your school", etc. Listeners need that qualified.

Anne D.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I think I disagree with Don: people do say "let’s go to yours" or "are we going back to mine?", but it’s very colloquial. 

In the UK, "go past" and "go by" are commoner than "pass by"

Edit: sorry, I’ve another question. Does "Tu es repassé à la boulangerie"  imply you popped back into the bakery again rather than by, which to me means you went past and  didn’t go in.

CécileKwiziq team member

Hi Anne,

Thank you for pointing this out and we have changed the English to make matters clear.

Tu es repassé à la boulangerie parce que tu avais oublié les croissants 

 means 

You went back to the bakery /You popped back into the bakery ...

Hope this helps!

Missing a word here in the English!

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