It's not official English to use breakfast as a verb, but people often do this sort of thing informally just for fun.
By the way, the right phraseology is 'to have breakfast', not 'take'. You can also say 'eat breakfast' but that's somewhat clunky. You'd really only say that if you want to stress the eating part.
"Eat your breakfast! You'll be late for school!" - A mother might say to her child who is sitting there not eating their breakfast.
Have vs take breakfast
- Sylarv
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 2:15 pm
- Languages: English (N), French (C1)
- x 6
- Language Heritage
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 12:53 am
- Location: Cusco, Perú
- Languages: English (Native)
Spanish (C1)
Hebrew (B2) - x 2
- Contact:
Re: Words that should exist but don't
Sylarv wrote:It's not official English to use breakfast as a verb, but people often do this sort of thing informally just for fun.
By the way, the right phraseology is 'to have breakfast', not 'take'. You can also say 'eat breakfast' but that's somewhat clunky. You'd really only say that if you want to stress the eating part.
"Eat your breakfast! You'll be late for school!" - A mother might say to her child who is sitting there not eating their breakfast.
It's not incorrect to say "take breakfast", it is just very old-fashioned. Genteel is you will.
2 x
Website: http://languageheritage.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/languageheritage
Youtube: https://goo.gl/ThGpgT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/langheritage/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LangHeritage
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/languageheritage
Youtube: https://goo.gl/ThGpgT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/langheritage/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LangHeritage
- Seneca
- Green Belt
- Posts: 268
- Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2016 5:08 pm
- Location: Eurasia
- Languages: English (N); 日本語 (beginner)
- x 352
Re: Words that should exist but don't
I agree with Language Heritage. Perhaps it is also more common in British English? I definitely have friends from the UK who have used that sort of phrasing. I also disagree that saying "eat breakfast" is clunky.
3 x
- stelingo
- Yellow Belt
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 6:20 pm
- Location: UK
- Languages: English (N), French (C1), Spanish (C1), Portuguese (C1), Italian (B2), German (High B1), Russian (B1), Czech (B1), Dutch (passive B1), Catalan (passive B1), Mandarin (A2), Polish (A2), Japanese (A2), Modern Standard Arabic (A1), Egyptian Arabic (A1), Turkish (Beginner) Thai (beginner). Korean (Beginner) Dabbled in Swedish, Norwegian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Romanian, Vietnamese
- x 155
Re: Words that should exist but don't
I agree with Sylarv. To take breakfast just doesn't sound right.
0 x
Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem.
- Teango
- Blue Belt
- Posts: 770
- Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2015 4:55 am
- Location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
- Languages: en (n)
- Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 9&p=235545
- x 2962
- Contact:
Re: Words that should exist but don't
To take breakfast (e.g., as in the phrase "we'll take breakfast in the parlour") evokes a sense of a servant or employee bringing you your breakfast, and hence sounds rather old-fashioned and affectatious these days. Nevertheless, it could well be used more frequently in hotels with room service, e.g., "I'll take breakfast in my room"? Having heard the phrase "we'll take dinner" far less often, I wonder whether this is because breakfast can often fit and be brought to you on a tray, which can itself be taken in one room, and then perhaps moved or taken to another room later on if desired (e.g., study, conservatory). Just food for thought.
6 x
- Serpent
- Black Belt - 3rd Dan
- Posts: 3657
- Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 10:54 am
- Location: Moskova
- Languages: heritage
Russian (native); Belarusian, Polish
fluent or close: Finnish (certified C1), English; Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian
learning: Croatian+, Ukrainian; Romanian, Galician; Danish, Swedish; Estonian
exploring: Latin, Karelian, Catalan, Dutch, Czech, Latvian - x 5181
- Contact:
Re: Words that should exist but don't
It's time to either move on or start a spinoff thread about breakfast
1 x
- Sylarv
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 2:15 pm
- Languages: English (N), French (C1)
- x 6
Re: Words that should exist but don't
Language Heritage wrote:Sylarv wrote:It's not official English to use breakfast as a verb, but people often do this sort of thing informally just for fun.
By the way, the right phraseology is 'to have breakfast', not 'take'. You can also say 'eat breakfast' but that's somewhat clunky. You'd really only say that if you want to stress the eating part.
"Eat your breakfast! You'll be late for school!" - A mother might say to her child who is sitting there not eating their breakfast.
It's not incorrect to say "take breakfast", it is just very old-fashioned. Genteel is you will.
How odd. I've never heard it.
0 x
That's what I do. I drink, and I know things.
-
- Orange Belt
- Posts: 193
- Joined: Fri May 06, 2016 3:07 pm
- Languages: English
- x 235
Re: Words that should exist but don't
Did he take his breakfast this morning?
I took breakfast in my room.
Did he have his breakfast this morning?
I had breakfast in my room.
I'm not a native English speaker, which if these should I use?
I took breakfast in my room.
Did he have his breakfast this morning?
I had breakfast in my room.
I'm not a native English speaker, which if these should I use?
0 x
-
- Brown Belt
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:41 pm
- x 1031
Re: Words that should exist but don't
Tillumadoguenirurm wrote:Did he take his breakfast this morning?
I took breakfast in my room.
Did he have his breakfast this morning?
I had breakfast in my room.
I'm not a native English speaker, which if these should I use?
Have/had would be the most common way to say it.
0 x
- Serpent
- Black Belt - 3rd Dan
- Posts: 3657
- Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 10:54 am
- Location: Moskova
- Languages: heritage
Russian (native); Belarusian, Polish
fluent or close: Finnish (certified C1), English; Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian
learning: Croatian+, Ukrainian; Romanian, Galician; Danish, Swedish; Estonian
exploring: Latin, Karelian, Catalan, Dutch, Czech, Latvian - x 5181
- Contact:
Return to “General Language Discussion”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: Cavesa, lichtrausch and 2 guests