Context: I’m missing a cutting board. So I wrote in our telegram family group: “Wo ist eigentlich unser zweites großes Schneidebrett hin?” (literally: “Where is actually our second big cuttingboard thither?”).

By using the modal particle “eigentlich” I insinuate that something is oddly off and express an emotional state of curiousity and/or mild discontent.

By adding “hin”, I notify that I ask because it is not where it is supposed to be and not because I don’t know where it should be.

Now I ask myself, how would I express this additional information in English?

  • intensely_human@lemm.ee
    0·
    9 months ago

    Actually this could be shorter:

    So … anybody know where the cutting board has gotten to?

    This phrase “has gotten to” vaguely refers to a child or animal that is missing; and the missing implies it has a known home location.

    • intensely_human@lemm.ee
      0·
      9 months ago

      Ooh ooh! Even shorter:

      So … anybody know where the cutting board went?

      “went” implies that I know it has moved, ie that I knew where it was, and know it’s not there right now.

      Referencing a specific location can either mean “I saw it somewhere once” or it can mean “I know its home location”, and the first use case doesn’t make sense per theory of mind because if you saw it in a random place others wouldn’t know where that place is.