Question

27 Oct 2020

Japanese

English (US)
English (UK)

Question about English (US)

I'm going to celebrate my perent's 70th birthday by going to a good restaurant.

Would you correct my sentence? I especially want to know if "by" is natural or not in this case. Thank you in advance.

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Answers

JacksonFromTexas

29 Oct 2020

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English (US)

@moondogfermata Oh, that makes sense! I didn't know about Kan-reki and Koki!

In the United States, you might call your 16th birthday your "Sweet 16." It is just a larger than normal party, and it is often more celebrated for girls. Sweet 16 isn't really a big deal though, and it's more of a way to refer to someone's 16th birthday party instead of an actual tradition.

Also, people from Latin American cultures will celebrate a girl turning 15 at a "Quinceañera." These are very big, very expensive parties. Often, the family will rent out a venue for the party. Quinceañeras can include choreographed dances and performances.

Anyways, if you're speaking in English, it might be better to say "Koki" instead of "70th birthday." If necessary, you could explain what it means.

If you say you're celebrating both of your parents' 70th birthday, it is confusing. Saying "Koki" and explaining that it is a special tradition will show the reason for celebrating both parents:

"I'm going to celebrate Koki for my parents by going to a nice restaurant. Koki is a Japanese tradition that celebrates someone turning 70."

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jimimibear

27 Oct 2020

English (US)
Spanish (Mexico) Near fluent

using “by” is perfectly fine

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JacksonFromTexas

27 Oct 2020

English (US)

You should say "I'm going to celebrate my (mom's/dad's) birthday by going to a good restaurant."

You usually only say "parents" when talking about both parents:

"My parents are very old." (mom AND dad)
"My (mom/mother) is very old."
"My (dad/father) is very old."

"Mother" and "father" are more formal than "mom" and "dad."

Please ask more questions if you have any! :)

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moondogfermata

29 Oct 2020

Japanese

@bebemimi Thank you so much!

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moondogfermata

29 Oct 2020

Japanese

@JacksonFromTexas Thank you so much for your explanation. I got it. This may be off topic, but 60th and 70th birthday have some special meanings in Japan. These are called Kan-reki and Koki. I meant to say celebrating my father and my mother together. So, I used the word "parents" by mistake. Is there any birthday having special meanings like these in the United States?

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JacksonFromTexas

29 Oct 2020

English (US)

@moondogfermata Oh, that makes sense! I didn't know about Kan-reki and Koki!

In the United States, you might call your 16th birthday your "Sweet 16." It is just a larger than normal party, and it is often more celebrated for girls. Sweet 16 isn't really a big deal though, and it's more of a way to refer to someone's 16th birthday party instead of an actual tradition.

Also, people from Latin American cultures will celebrate a girl turning 15 at a "Quinceañera." These are very big, very expensive parties. Often, the family will rent out a venue for the party. Quinceañeras can include choreographed dances and performances.

Anyways, if you're speaking in English, it might be better to say "Koki" instead of "70th birthday." If necessary, you could explain what it means.

If you say you're celebrating both of your parents' 70th birthday, it is confusing. Saying "Koki" and explaining that it is a special tradition will show the reason for celebrating both parents:

"I'm going to celebrate Koki for my parents by going to a nice restaurant. Koki is a Japanese tradition that celebrates someone turning 70."

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moondogfermata

29 Oct 2020

Japanese

@JacksonFromTexas I've knew the word "sweet 16" since before because a musician I like made a song called sweet 16, but I didn't know the meaning. Now, it makes sense! I never knew "Quinceañera" before. I was curious, so I looked it up online. It is really interesting for me! Thank you for letting me know. And, thank you for teaching me how to make sentences in this case. I completely understand it now. I learned a lot form your explanations. I appreciate it.

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moondogfermata

30 Oct 2020

Japanese

@JacksonFromTexas Excuse me, but I have one more question. I noticed that I used "And," in my previous sentence while "Also," was used in your sentence. What is the difference between the two? Should I have used "Also," like you? Sorry to bother you again.

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JacksonFromTexas

31 Oct 2020

English (US)

@moondogfermata
Good question! I'm happy to answer.

They are similar, but different in some important ways:

"And" is a conjunction.

"Also" is an adverb.

They can be used interchangeably sometimes, but they are slightly different.

"And" sounds like you are continuing a thought.

"Also" sounds like you are adding something new.

You were thanking me for something, and you thanked me for another thing by starting your sentence with "and." It would have sounded natural for you to say "also" as well.

I was adding new information when I began talking about Quinceañeras, so I used "also." It would have been slightly unnatural for me to begin with "and" because I was introducing a whole new idea.

"And" is good for very direct continuations because it is a conjunction:

"Thank you for your help and your time."

"Have a good evening, and I look forward to tomorrow!"

Because "and" is used this way, often within a single sentence, the connection you're making should be closer.

"Also" doesn't need to be super closely connected, but it can be:

"Can you go to the store to get milk? Also, make sure you get gas on the way home."

"Also" can also mean "in addition."

Take my previous sentence for example:

I said, "'Also'" can ALSO mean..."

Think of it like "'Also' can (in addition to its other meanings) mean..."

"Bob said he was going to be home late. He also told me he was going to the party."

"He (in addition to telling me he was going to be home late) told me he was going to the party."

Sorry if this is too much information 😅 Please feel free to ask more questions!

Also, I made a mistake earlier when I told you about Quinceañeras. They are for a girl's 15th birthday, not her 13th. I edited my comment to say 15th. "Quince" means 15 in Spanish.

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moondogfermata

1 Nov 2020

Japanese

@JacksonFromTexas Wow, that's great! Thank you for your detailed explanation. The two words are elementary, but it was difficult for me to understand the difference the two properly. Your explanation is clear, fair and easy to understand. Also, your usage of "also," in the last paragraph was helpful. lol

I will practice them following your advice. If something comes up, please let me consult with you sometime again. Thank you so much.

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