Pages in topic:   [1 2] >
Off topic: Native English
Thread poster: Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 10:49
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
May 25, 2017

Announcement in a train when arriving at the airport:

We are arriving at the airport
We will shortly arrive at the airport.
We are about to arrive at the airport.

Which of the above sentences sounds most "native" to you?


 
Ian Mansbridge
Ian Mansbridge  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:49
Member (2012)
Italian to English
+ ...
The second one May 25, 2017

Or, as an alternative, "we are now arriving at the airport" or "we will shortly be arriving at the airport".

[Edited at 2017-05-25 07:07 GMT]


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
They all sound native May 25, 2017

The first one sounds like you're just pulling into the station.
The second is more what I would expect to hear.
But Ian's second suggestion is best, I think.


 
RobinB
RobinB  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:49
German to English
Maybe use present continuous May 25, 2017

Personally, I think I would prefer the present continuous, e.g.

We are now arriving at the airport
This train is now arriving at the airport
This train will shortly be arriving at the airport (this would probably be a minute or two before the actual arrival).

I think the Heathrow Express uses a variant of option 1 above (something like "We are now arriving at Heathrow Terminal X"), but I also think I've heard option 2.


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 04:49
English to Spanish
+ ...
I would say idiomatic May 25, 2017

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

Announcement in a train when arriving at the airport:

We are arriving at the airport
We will shortly arrive at the airport.
We are about to arrive at the airport.

Which of the above sentences sounds most "native" to you?


All three are idiomatic English. There are differences in usage depending on a) who's the speaker and b) what's the intent attached to the information of arriving at a particular station. The third one, in particular, would be used by a speaker who's trying to bond with the listener or reader, such as a journalist or a travel guide.

The first sentence is about an imminent event: it is happening now. The second, of course, is not the same because it informs us that the event will happen shortly afterwards, from 1 to 5 minutes (or more).

I'ts not just grammar.


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
:-) May 25, 2017

Mario Chavez wrote:

I'ts not just grammar.


Lol


 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:49
Spanish to English
+ ...
None of the above May 25, 2017

All three of Heinrich's options are "acceptable," but I don't consider any of them entirely satisfactory (especially "We will shortly arrive at the airport," which I find awkward). I also note that such an announcement would never be generic in nature, and would *always* include the name of the airport in question.

I think the most natural wording in such a scenario would be the following:

We will soon be arriving at [name] Airport.

[Edited at 2017-05-25 15:40 GM
... See more
All three of Heinrich's options are "acceptable," but I don't consider any of them entirely satisfactory (especially "We will shortly arrive at the airport," which I find awkward). I also note that such an announcement would never be generic in nature, and would *always* include the name of the airport in question.

I think the most natural wording in such a scenario would be the following:

We will soon be arriving at [name] Airport.

[Edited at 2017-05-25 15:40 GMT]
Collapse


 
Edward Potter
Edward Potter  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:49
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Arriving at the airport May 25, 2017

Taking a break from translating a document from a Mexican lawyer, I figured I'd help rewrite the sentence for clarification:

The individuals authorized by the management committee, where applicable, should in due course, and in the event of failure to arrive at the aforementioned unauthorized time in accordance with section 3.2 herein, shall bring about the condition of section 5.3 herein leading to pecuniary sanctions, when said individuals authorized by the management committee re
... See more
Taking a break from translating a document from a Mexican lawyer, I figured I'd help rewrite the sentence for clarification:

The individuals authorized by the management committee, where applicable, should in due course, and in the event of failure to arrive at the aforementioned unauthorized time in accordance with section 3.2 herein, shall bring about the condition of section 5.3 herein leading to pecuniary sanctions, when said individuals authorized by the management committee reaches the area for landings and takeoffs, referred to hereinafter and herein as "Aerodrome", shall arrive.
Collapse


 
jiahui_w
jiahui_w  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:49
Chinese to English
they're all "native" May 25, 2017

All three are native in that they are all perfectly grammatical in the Chomskyan sense. I can think of various contexts in which each might be used:

1. We are arriving at the airport
Probably not what a captain would say, but rather what a car driver would say to wake up the passenger in the back, for example.


2. We will shortly arrive at the airport.
This is something the captain of the plane might say upon descent. It also might be what the bus driv
... See more
All three are native in that they are all perfectly grammatical in the Chomskyan sense. I can think of various contexts in which each might be used:

1. We are arriving at the airport
Probably not what a captain would say, but rather what a car driver would say to wake up the passenger in the back, for example.


2. We will shortly arrive at the airport.
This is something the captain of the plane might say upon descent. It also might be what the bus driver might say to a bus full of tourists so they can gather their belongings.

3. We are about to arrive at the airport.
To me, the same as #2, but not as precise; slightly lower register (about to arrive is slightly less formal than shortly arrive)
Collapse


 
MollyRose
MollyRose  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:49
English to Spanish
+ ...
To my U.S. ears May 25, 2017

We are arriving at the airport. = We can see it! Basically, here we are!

We will shortly arrive at the airport. To be grammatically correct, it should be: We will arrive shortly at the airport, or We will arrive at the airport shortly. (The latter sounds better.) This is to avoid breaking an infinitive [will arrive]. = We will be there in a few minutes (~3-10 minutes)

We are about to arrive at the airport. = We'll be there in ~1-5 minutes.

Notice the
... See more
We are arriving at the airport. = We can see it! Basically, here we are!

We will shortly arrive at the airport. To be grammatically correct, it should be: We will arrive shortly at the airport, or We will arrive at the airport shortly. (The latter sounds better.) This is to avoid breaking an infinitive [will arrive]. = We will be there in a few minutes (~3-10 minutes)

We are about to arrive at the airport. = We'll be there in ~1-5 minutes.

Notice the difference when the words "are" and "will" are used? One is present and the other is still in the future.
Collapse


 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:49
French to English
some bizarre posts here, but May 25, 2017

Chris S wrote:

The first one sounds like you're just pulling into the station.
The second is more what I would expect to hear.
But Ian's second suggestion is best, I think.


Yep, "we will shortly be arriving at..." is the one, no doubt about it.


 
Georgie Scott
Georgie Scott  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 09:49
French to English
+ ...
Split infinitives May 26, 2017

MollyRose wrote:
We will shortly arrive at the airport. To be grammatically correct, it should be: We will arrive shortly at the airport, or We will arrive at the airport shortly. (The latter sounds better.) This is to avoid breaking an infinitive [will arrive]. = We will be there in a few minutes (~3-10 minutes)


This is a myth. "We will arrive shortly at the airport," said no-one, ever.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/grammar/split-infinitives

On the London overground they say "We will shortly be arriving at..."

(see 2:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-nHvSvZke0)


 
polyglot45
polyglot45
English to French
+ ...
and it is not even a split infinitive May 26, 2017

"We shall shortly be arriving" is perfect and perfectly correct.
Where do you see an infinitive, let alone a split infinitive, in that sentence?


 
Rosalind Haigh
Rosalind Haigh  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:49
German to English
+ ...
Trainspeak May 26, 2017

On British intercity trains they now announce "We will shortly be arriving into Birmingham New Street" or wherever. Makes me shudder every time.

 
MollyRose
MollyRose  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:49
English to Spanish
+ ...
split infinitive May 30, 2017

Well, maybe it isn´t exactly an infinitive (to arrive), but when you insert "shortly" between "will" and "arrive," it is splitting the verb form.

Anyway, my dad would use that word a lot: We'll be there shortly, or I'll do that shortly. ("I will do that shortly," not "I will shortly do that.") I realize it's different words, but it's the same sentence structure.

We aren't "no-one, ever."


 
Pages in topic:   [1 2] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Fernanda Rocha[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Native English






Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »