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I'm afraid

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Latest post Fri, Apr 27 2007 5:05 PM by Anonymous. 8 replies.
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Anonymous  +  356449 Fri, 27 Apr 07 04:41 AM

Hi!

  Could you please explain me the following?

  "No comment, I'm afraid"(avoiding giving an opinion) - In this sentence the meaning of I'm afraid is "unfortunately"? Because the idea of fear seems strange for me : No comment because I'm afraid.(?!)

Also in this idea of avoiding giving an opinion what is the meaning of these sentences:

1) Well, now you're asking.

2) Search me!

3) Not my department, I'm afraid (here I'd like to understand if I'm afraid means I fear, I think, or unfortunately).

Thank you,

Patrick 
Anonymous
Grammar Geek  +  356462 Fri, 27 Apr 07 05:33 AM

Yes, I'm afraid can mean unfortunately, or I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with this answer. You are right in that it has nothing to do with fear.

1 - I'm not sure - can you give context?

2 - This means "I have no idea!"

3 - This means "I'm sorry to tell you that that's not an area I'm familar with/a subject I'm able to help you with"
Grammar Geek
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Clive  +  356464 Fri, 27 Apr 07 05:38 AM

Hi,

Could you please explain me the following?

  "No comment, I'm afraid"(avoiding giving an opinion) -

 In this sentence the meaning of I'm afraid is "unfortunately"?   <<< Yes Because the idea of fear seems strange for me : No comment because I'm afraid.(?!)

Also in this idea of avoiding giving an opinion what is the meaning of these sentences:

1) Well, now you're asking. It usually means "That's not an easy question. Now you're asking a difficult question."

2) Search me! I don't know. (Even if you search me, you won't find that I have the answer).

3) Not my department, I'm afraid (here I'd like to understand if I'm afraid means I fear, I think, or unfortunately). It means 'That's not my area of responsibility, unfortunately".

Best wishes, Clive
Clive
Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004
Canada
Veteran Member 29,612
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Anonymous, 2 yr 210 days ago

Hello, Grammar Geek!

          Thank you for all the answers. Concerning to nº 1 could you please check if I really understood its meaning through the example below?

          Example: "Is it true you have a new affair ?"

          (answer) "Well, now you're asking. (it means: Well, I'm not sure = avoiding giving an opinion)    

          Thanks,

          Patrick

Anonymous, 2 yr 210 days ago

Hi, Clive!

      Thanks a lot for your explanation!

       Best regards,

       Patrick 

nona the brit  +  356661 Fri, 27 Apr 07 04:01 PM

No 1 doesn't mean 'I'm not sure'. It means 'you are asking me a difficult question'

(in any case, you can't give an 'I'm not sure' answer to whether you are having an affair - you'd know).
nona the brit
Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004
England
Veteran Member 11,713
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Grammar Geek  +  356692 Fri, 27 Apr 07 04:46 PM
 Grammar Geek wrote:

Yes, I'm afraid can mean unfortunately, or I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with this answer. You are right in that it has nothing to do with fear.

1 - I'm not sure - can you give context? I am telling you that *I* (GG) am not sure of the meaning without context.

2 - This means "I have no idea!" By using the quotes and saying This means I'm telling you what I think it means.

3 - This means "I'm sorry to tell you that that's not an area I'm familar with/a subject I'm able to help you with" By using the quotes and saying This means I'm telling you what I think it means.

Hi - My response to #1 meant that I didn't know what the phrase meant. I think it would depend on the context. For example, if I have been painting my house, and you wait until I have a tiny bit left to do, and then ask if you can help, I may say "Now you're asking?!" (It would ahve been nice if you had asked that sooner.) So I can take on different meanings, in addition to the ones provided above.
Grammar Geek
Anonymous, 2 yr 210 days ago

Hi, Nona the Brit!

     Thank you also for your explanation.

      Best regards,

      Patrick

Anonymous, 2 yr 210 days ago

Hi, Grammar Geek!

     Thank you very much for all your help and attention. And sorry for any trouble I could have caused ( I really had to laugh about my misunderstanding!).

      Best regards,

      Patrick

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