recommend to vs recommend you to

English translation: close...

10:49 Oct 18, 2002

English language (monolingual) [PRO]

English term or phrase: recommend to vs recommend you to

Hi , is it everything OK in :

"I recommend you to see that movie."
or should it be just:
"I recommend to see that movie" (In this case it's no clear who gets the advice)
Also: what about:

I suggest you to see..
I suggest to you to see..

I offered you to see..
I offered to see..

I promise you to see..
I promised to..

According to a textbook all the verb + you cases (these verbs) are not OK.

Thx a lot.

aivars KudoZ activity Questions: 815 (4 open) (3 without valid answers) (9 closed without grading) Answers: 739 Argentina
Local time: 12:27

Selected answer:close...

Explanation:
I recommend that you see...
I recommend watching...
I suggest you see.. .
I would suggest seeing...
I offered you the opportunity to see...
I offered you the chance to see...
I promise you to watch...
I promised to watch...

...that movie

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Note added at 2002-10-18 11:01:01 (GMT)
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doubly posted... there was a correction down there based on #3... It should be \"I suggest that you see...\"

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Note added at 2002-10-18 11:29:41 (GMT)
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I am warning you about watching...
I warned you about watching...
I gave warning about watching...
I gave you warning about watching...
I invite you to watch...
I invited you to go see...
I invited you to watch...
I forbade you to watch...
I forbade you to look at...
I forbade against watching...
I persuaded you to go watch...
I persuaded you into watching...
I threatened against watching...
I threatened you to watch...

...that movie

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Note added at 2002-10-18 14:36:17 (GMT)
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I offered to take care of the kids...
I am offering to take care of the kids...

(using \"you\" here would be considered faulty)

You _can_ use \"you\" when saying the following:

I offered you 20 bucks ($20).
I offered you food.
I offered you help.
I offered you [object].
I am offering you everything that I have.
I offer you this sacrifice.
I offer this sacrifice to you.
I offer you my prayers.
I am offering you A in exchange for Z.
I am offering you a second chance.
I am offering a whole lot of answers.

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Note added at 2002-10-18 14:40:18 (GMT)
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I offered to care of the kids FOR you... this is why you can make that exception.

Selected response from:

Bryan Crumpler
United States
Local time: 11:27

Grading comment

thank you very much for the help
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

5 +4

close...

Bryan Crumpler

4 +1

In support of Crumpler's and Rita's excellent answers

Kim Metzger

comments on recommend vs. advise

Catherine Bolton

I recommend you to have a look at...

Kemal Mustajbegovic

1 +2

I recommend that movie

RHELLER

5 -2

eiter will do, but

erhan ucgun (X)

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

close...

Bryan Crumpler
United States
Local time: 11:27
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 56

Grading comment

thank you very much for the help

8 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

I recommend that movie

Explanation:
you is understood;the advice is being given to (you)

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Note added at 2002-10-18 11:29:18 (GMT)
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. We recommend that you select the user dictionary in the Add Words To list so
words will be added to it when you click the Add button in the Grammar and ...
www.wintertree-software.com/support/gramxp/

I suggest that you see a psychologist

I promise that I will never do that again
I promise to never do that again

Present tense:

I warn you that I will take legal action
I invite you to visit the apartment at any time

Past tense:

I threatened you because you wouldn\'t leave me alone
I forbade you to enter my house
I persuaded you to participate because I felt

I offered you a bonbon

Hope that helps

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Note added at 2002-10-18 11:34:16 (GMT)
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http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/concise.htm

The present tense of the subjunctive uses only the base form of the verb.
· He demanded that his students use two-inch margins.
· She suggested that we be on time tomorrow.
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm

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Note added at 2002-10-19 12:41:08 (GMT)
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I offered to take care of the kids
or
I offered to take care of your kids

NOT
I offered you to take care of the kids

if it is for someone else, other than \"you\"

I offered to take care of her/his/their kids

RHELLER
United States
Local time: 09:27
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 1252

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): -2

eiter will do, but

Explanation:
what i would use would be "i recommend you seeing that movie".

Luck

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Note added at 2002-10-18 11:16:41 (GMT)
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Yesterday I saw Lord of the Rings for the second time in theatres. It was so fantastic! Now I admit it ::cards on the table:: I have not seen the Harry Potter movie yet. However, I have heard form many people that Lord of the Rings is better. So I highly reccomend you seeing that movie. You really don\'t know what you\'re missing until you have seen it.

A small passage from a page over the net......

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Note added at 2002-10-18 11:18:53 (GMT)
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\"You\" is a must, if you advise to \"me\"

erhan ucgun (X)
Local time: 18:27

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

disagree

Clair Pickworth: not I recommend to see ... or ...you seeing. See Crumpler's answers for better formulations

3 mins

-> Then, nocoby knows English! sorry but, please let me know why it does not work.

neutral

Kim Metzger: Erhan, now you know that *I recommend you see* is not English.

1 hr

-> have you ever hear two friends say each other "I recommend that you see" or else

disagree

Libero_Lang_Lab: I recommend you do not offer advice on correct English usage when there are plenty of people who are native speakers - you clearly are not. Sorry if this sounds rude, but you are wasting your own time and that of the asker!

1 day 10 hrs

-> the question is "recommend you to" or "recommend to". Asker does not ask if recommend offers advice, only the correct spelling. If you search some engines, you can see that many native speakers do not mind to use "recommend" if they intend to recommend!

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

In support of Crumpler's and Rita's excellent answers

Explanation:
First an apology to Erhan: I typed *recommend you see* is not English. I meant to type *recommend to see* is not English. I recommend you see is actually fine; it's a shorter version of I recommend that you see. But as a former English teacher, I'd like to address aivar's other questions:

"I recommend you to see that movie."
YES - but more likely found in BE than in AE.

or should it be just:
"I recommend to see that movie" (In this case it's no clear who gets the advice) NO - this is phrasing that is often heard from non-native speakers.

Also: what about:

I suggest you to see.. NO - I suggest you see - not with the infinitive.

I suggest to you to see.. NO - My suggestion to you is that you see

I offered you to see.. NO

I offered to see.. NO

I promise you to see.. NO
I promised to.. YES, but what comes afterwards? I promised to see the movie means I promised that I would see the movie.

English Grammar in Use - Raymond Murphey
advise - recommend - encourage - allow - permit - forbid
"There are two possible structures after these verbs. Compare:
verb + -ing (without an object)
I wouldn't recommend staying in that hotel. She doesn't allow smoking in the house.

verb + object + to...
I wouldn't recommend anybody to stay in that hotel.
She doesn't allow us to smoke in the house.

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Note added at 2002-10-18 14:27:26 (GMT)
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aivars: this is a very difficult topic in English grammar. You really ought to get a copy of Murphy\'s book. One issue has to do with verbs plus infinitives, verbs with gerunds, etc. There are lists of verbs that only go with infinitives, only with gerunds and with both. Offer - if it is followed by another verb, the structure is usually verb + to - I offered to give him $10. I offered to take care of the kids - but not I offered you to ...

In your example - \"I offered you to care of the kids\" you can\'t add the object you. But I offered you a new job. offer + object + object. You could say \"I offered to take care of his/her kids.\"

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 09:27
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 2249

4 hrs confidence:

I recommend you to have a look at...

Explanation:
... the high school grammar books, it's all in there.

I suggest you to listen people passing by.

I would like you to know that I'm not the smartest one.

I want you to pay attention to a bit of a humour in my sentences.

But, I would really appreciate if you take me seriously at the end.

Cheers!

Kemal Mustajbegovic
Local time: 23:27
Native speaker of: Croatian
PRO pts in pair: 12

6 hrs confidence:

comments on recommend vs. advise

Explanation:
This is an American viewpoint, so I can't tell you for BE.
I agree that "I recommend you to see" is not good English.
I just wanted to point out that while you would say "I recommend that you see a dentist" (without "to"), you CAN say either "I advise that you see a doctor" or "I advise you to see a doctor".
Without getting into transitives and intransitives, as a rule of thumb you can consider that:
you recommend SOMETHING (e.g. I recommend a movie, a book, a restaurant), and you recommend that SOMETHING to SOMEONE.
However, you advise SOMEONE (I advise you, John, my father).

You can apply this to other verbs as well, such as suggest:
you would suggest SOMETHING to SOMEONE.

Hope this helps with your tunnel vision!

Catherine Bolton
Local time: 17:27
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 98

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