question about english language

Hi, Lars,

It depends to a certain extent on which school you went to in England (do I hear cries of "Elitist!"?)

In normal usage, "Can I see you again?" is more "correct." Where I used to live (sunny but scummy Basildon, in Essex) it's standard to say "D'yer wanna go pictures?" - meaning "would you like to go to the cinema" - or something similar, you actually put an event into the question.

"Will I see you again?" implies that someone's off to drop bombs on bad guys, kill thousands of heavily armed enemy soldiers with his bare hands and save the world - leading to an answer of "Maybe" rather than "I'll be back"

"Will I see you again" also suggests that someone's already asked if they can see you again and you're repeating the question back to them.

Wonderful language, English; full of exceptions.

Cheers,

A :-)

Alan has explained "Will I see you again".
Your final question is about the use of "Will YOU see ME again" so I'll have a go at that.

Grammatically, it's fine in an active role, as it's exactly the same as "Will you marry me?". But "Will you see me again?" sounds a bit pathetic as this construction is more often understood in its more passive role, and might invite the devastating response "Only if I happen to have the misfortune of being in the same place at the same time ".
And No - I'm not quoting from experience :D

The difference between “Will I see you again?” and “Can I see you again?” is the first is asking the person if they can predict the future. It implies that one of them may possibly die (otherwise they would not be asking it). Or after you meet a woman on the train that you hope to meet again someday, you may ask yourself (as if you were talking to her) “Will I meet you again?” meaning, “Will I ever meet her again?”

Using “Can” technically means “Am I able to . . .” or “Do I have the ability to . . .”. And as Alan says is more commonly used (even though "May" should be used).
Grammatically, “May I see you again?” should be used if you are asking permission to see that person.
“Can I go to the moon?” = “Do I have the ability to go to the moon?” = "Am I capable of going to the moon?
“May I go to the moon?” = “Do I have your permission to go to the moon?” = “Am I allowed to go to the moon?”
"Will I go to the moon?" = "Tell me if you think I am going to the moon" = "Predict whether I go to the moon or not"
"Will you go to the moon?" = "Are you going to the moon?" = "Do you plan on going to the moon"

Now, for the other half of your question, “Will you see me again?”. If your intent is to ask the person if they would like to see you again then, yes, that does sound awkward only because it's too close to asking “Do you like me?” However, if that is the intent, it's grammatically correct.
(As Fretsource said "Will you marry me?" are the standards words used in a proposal of marriage)

But socially (and your question may not have been what is said socially), it's something a child would ask.
(Kids are more direct)
I can't think of a comfortable way of asking someone directly if they would like to see me again. (Not just because I'm afraid the answer would be "No". :lol: )
The question is (socially) approached more indirectly.
Depending on the situation, in “Americanese”, we might say, “Can we do this again?”
Or “I enjoyed our conversation. Can (May) I call you?”

I'm not sure if this helps. The answer involves what is said in normal social situations and grammar.

"Won't you be my friend?" <--- a joke based on an American TV show for children (Mr. Rogers)
KR2

Maybe we'd all better learn to write lyrics in Norwegian, it sounds less complicated LOL

A :-)

"Would" can also be used.

"Would you see me again?" can mean "Would you like to see me again?" or "If I ask you out in the future, will you say yes?"

excellent - thanks a lot. Great explanation KR2
You will see me again ;)

- maybe I post the whole lyrics here - eventually

Maybe we'd all better learn to write lyrics in Norwegian, it sounds less complicated LOL

Good idea - I find that much easier :roll:

- maybe I post the whole lyrics here - eventually
No, it's
"Maybe I will post all the lyrics here - eventually." :D

Worded this way, "will" is not a asking - but saying (maybe) it is going to be done.
(English is a very difficult language. "Will" can be a question or a statement of what is to be done in the future.)

"I will talk" = "You are going to talk in the future."
"Will I talk?" = "Am I going to talk in the future?"

And we will be happy to help.
excellent - thanks a lot. Great explanation KR2
It is our pleasure. :wink:

As a former English major, here's my two cents. The word "may" is used to ask permission, "May I see you again?" The word "can" is asking if someone/something is capable of doing whatever, "Can I use your bathroom?" Well, yes, I'm sure you are capable of doing so, but, if you actually want to know if you have permission to use my bathroom, the correct question is "May I use your bathroom?" The word "will" actually will work in the way Lars asked about, though. "Will" can be used to indicate willingness as well as likelihood and certainty. So, yes, Lars, either way, "Will I see you again?" and "Will you see me again?" are both acceptable uses of the word "will". The word "may" is also appropriate, but only with "May I see you again?" The only correct way to express the second question is "Will you see me again?" which goes back to the willingness, likelihood, certainty thing.

Thanks EB :D

Hi Lars :D

First off I have to say: HI EB!!!! :D :D :D :D
Great to see you :wink:
And really nice post.

Unfortunately Lars, you want to write a song, not an English paper.
So.... I'm afraid that the answer lay somewhere in the shadow world between Gramatically Correct/Proper English,
and Broken English.

I once showed a paper that I had writen to one of my wife's friends.
This friend's mother happened to be an english teacher at the nearby college.
After she read it, she started telling me all about the grammatical errors I had made....
When she finished, I said: 'Yeah; how did it make you FEEL though????'
No response :roll:

My advice is to look to existing song lyrics to guide you.

An example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yio9zi_GPPs

Ken

Ignoring the grammatical critique and focusing on the connotative implications of the phrase alone.

Said with a certain hopefulness in the tone, "Will you see me again" is going to be heard by most Americans as a pleading request. It has the sense of begging to be seen again -- the sort of phrase that might be said by an adolescent hopeless infatuated with a girl who went out on one date with him and decided he was not worth her time. The sense of begging need not be that strong, but it will be there quite easily do to the construction of the phrase.

Said with a tone of confidence, "Will you see me again" is going to be heard as a forward request for another meeting.

Tone and context will determine which way it is heard. The important thing here is that if it is used in a song going for the second meaning, you have to be careful that it is sung with confidence to get over the 'begging" sense of the phrase.

... unless my song is about an adolescent hopeless infatuated with a girl who went out on one date with him and decided he was not worth her time. ... :roll: :lol:

I see your point.
I think we're closing in on an Elektrablue, Kingpatzer, Kenrogers2 et.al article in "Journal of general verbal ambiguty" :lol:

Tone and context will determine which way it is heard. The important thing here is that if it is used in a song going for the second meaning, you have to be careful that it is sung with confidence to get over the 'begging" sense of the phrase.

+1

Tone and context always do make a big difference. So do common and regional usages over what might be taught in college. EB says (quite rightly) that the 'correct form' is to say "May I use your bathroom?" but I'd say that in real life over 90% of people would probably say "Can I use the bathroom?" It's not really right, but it IS what people say. And no matter what the rules might say, usage always wins in the end. Many words in the English language now actually mean the exact opposite of what they originally meant and, to the annoyance of many academics, the meanings of many more are constantly shifting.

Good luck.... :D

Chris