Question
Updated on
11 Feb 2017
- Japanese
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English (US)
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Simplified Chinese (China)
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Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
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Question about English (US)
What is the difference between bother and disturb ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between bother and disturb ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
Answers
11 Feb 2017
Featured answer
- Arabic
- English (US)
- German
Both are very similar but to disturb someone is usually used when you interrupt someone while they are doing something.
Example:
Your friend is in a meeting and you call him so you interrupt the meeting and say:
"I'm sorry to disturb you during your meeting."
Your brother is studying and you enter his room while making noise so you interrupt his studying and say:
"I'm sorry to disturb you while studying."
You are reading a book and you are very concentrated but then you get a call, so you are disturbed.
To bother someone means you make that person upset or you talk to them when they are in a bad mood so you don't really interrupt anything they were doing, you just bother them.
Example:
You are sad and don't want to talk to anyone but your parents keep asking you a lot of questions about work so you say:
"I'm in a bad mood, can you please not bother me?"
You see older kids shouting at a small kid so you go up to them and say:
"Stop bothering him!"
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- Arabic
- English (US)
- German
Both are very similar but to disturb someone is usually used when you interrupt someone while they are doing something.
Example:
Your friend is in a meeting and you call him so you interrupt the meeting and say:
"I'm sorry to disturb you during your meeting."
Your brother is studying and you enter his room while making noise so you interrupt his studying and say:
"I'm sorry to disturb you while studying."
You are reading a book and you are very concentrated but then you get a call, so you are disturbed.
To bother someone means you make that person upset or you talk to them when they are in a bad mood so you don't really interrupt anything they were doing, you just bother them.
Example:
You are sad and don't want to talk to anyone but your parents keep asking you a lot of questions about work so you say:
"I'm in a bad mood, can you please not bother me?"
You see older kids shouting at a small kid so you go up to them and say:
"Stop bothering him!"
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- Japanese
Thank you for your help!
So you mean "disturb" is related what a person does, and "bother " is related what a person says?
Or is not always the case?
So you mean "disturb" is related what a person does, and "bother " is related what a person says?
Or is not always the case?
- Arabic
- English (US)
- German
@chinami15 Exactly! Also if someone or something is bothering you, it's more related to hurting your feelings and it can stay for a long period of time.....so it's kind of more emotional.
For example your friend said something hurtful behind your back and it bothered you....so you stay hurt for a long time.
If someone disturbs you it only interrupts the act you are doing at the moment.
It only sounds better and more natural to use them in those two different situations like you mentioned but it wouldn't be grammatically wrong if you mix them up.
You're very welcome :)
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- Japanese
Your explanation is really understandable to me.
Really good!!
I would like to use them like a native speaker.
Thank you so much.
Really good!!
I would like to use them like a native speaker.
Thank you so much.
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