I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Ask specific questions about your target languages. Beginner questions welcome!
MarianoM
White Belt
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:11 pm
Location: Argentina
Languages: Spanish (Native), English (Advanced) German (Beginner)
x 18

I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby MarianoM » Mon Feb 11, 2019 12:36 pm

How do I ask someone to put my cellphone number in his/her cellphone? In spanish we say "agendame" but I couldn't find an equivalent expression in English, maybe:

"Register me?" or "add me?" Maybe I'm wrong but none of these sound natural to me.

Thanks
1 x

User avatar
Adrianslont
Blue Belt
Posts: 827
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 10:39 am
Location: Australia
Languages: English (N), Learning Indonesian and French
x 1936

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby Adrianslont » Mon Feb 11, 2019 12:40 pm

“Add me to your contacts”

“Would you like to add me to your contacts?”

“Could you add me to your contacts?”

“Would you like my number?”

All of those work for me as a native speaker of English living in Australia.
8 x

MarianoM
White Belt
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:11 pm
Location: Argentina
Languages: Spanish (Native), English (Advanced) German (Beginner)
x 18

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby MarianoM » Wed Feb 13, 2019 7:31 pm

Thanks Adrian.

So it's rather simple just "add me to your contacts" I thought that maybe there was some idiom or expression. But if that's natural as you say, it's enough for me.

Thanks for your help!
1 x

Beli Tsar
Green Belt
Posts: 384
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:59 pm
Languages: English (N), Ancient Greek (intermediate reading), Latin (Beginner) Farsi (Beginner), Biblical Hebrew (Beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=9548
x 1294

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby Beli Tsar » Thu Feb 14, 2019 12:39 pm

MarianoM wrote:Thanks Adrian.

So it's rather simple just "add me to your contacts" I thought that maybe there was some idiom or expression. But if that's natural as you say, it's enough for me.

Thanks for your help!

I think, in UK English at least, that could sound a little formal/odd/a touch rude, since it's demanding an action from the person you are speaking to. I'd use 'can I give you my number'?
1 x
: 0 / 50 1/2 Super Challenge - Latin Reading
: 0 / 50 1/2 Super Challenge - Latin 'Films'

User avatar
SGP
Blue Belt
Posts: 927
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:33 pm
Languages: DE (native), EN (C2), ES (B2), FR (B2); some more at various levels
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 30#p120230
x 293

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby SGP » Thu Feb 14, 2019 3:07 pm

Beli Tsar wrote:
MarianoM wrote:Thanks Adrian.

So it's rather simple just "add me to your contacts" I thought that maybe there was some idiom or expression. But if that's natural as you say, it's enough for me.

Thanks for your help!

I think, in UK English at least, that could sound a little formal/odd/a touch rude, since it's demanding an action from the person you are speaking to. I'd use 'can I give you my number'?
They say that US Americans (usually) tend to be more direct than people from the United Kingdom. Maybe someone from the US could comment on "add me" vs. "can you add me". I think it could be useful to MarianoM, as well as some others.
1 x
Previously known as SGP. But my mental username now is langmon.

Log


User avatar
Deinonysus
Brown Belt
Posts: 1216
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:06 pm
Location: MA, USA
Languages:  
• Native: English
• Advanced: French
• Intermediate: German,
   Spanish, Hebrew
• Beginner: Italian,
   Arabic
x 4620

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby Deinonysus » Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:10 pm

SGP wrote:
Beli Tsar wrote:
MarianoM wrote:Thanks Adrian.

So it's rather simple just "add me to your contacts" I thought that maybe there was some idiom or expression. But if that's natural as you say, it's enough for me.

Thanks for your help!

I think, in UK English at least, that could sound a little formal/odd/a touch rude, since it's demanding an action from the person you are speaking to. I'd use 'can I give you my number'?
They say that US Americans (usually) tend to be more direct than people from the United Kingdom. Maybe someone from the US could comment on "add me" vs. "can you add me". I think it could be useful to MarianoM, as well as some others.
Adrianslont's sentences are probably the best way to say it in US English as well.
0 x
/daɪ.nə.ˈnaɪ.səs/

User avatar
SGP
Blue Belt
Posts: 927
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:33 pm
Languages: DE (native), EN (C2), ES (B2), FR (B2); some more at various levels
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 30#p120230
x 293

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby SGP » Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:14 pm

Deinonysus wrote:Adrianslont's sentences are probably the best way to say it in US English as well.
Not disagreeing with you. However, Adrianslont's senteces contain both of "add me" and "would you like to add me". So the remaining question was more about whether "add me" sounds too direct to "the average US English speaker", not if all of Adrianslont's sentences can be used in US English as well.
0 x
Previously known as SGP. But my mental username now is langmon.

Log


User avatar
Deinonysus
Brown Belt
Posts: 1216
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:06 pm
Location: MA, USA
Languages:  
• Native: English
• Advanced: French
• Intermediate: German,
   Spanish, Hebrew
• Beginner: Italian,
   Arabic
x 4620

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby Deinonysus » Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:34 pm

SGP wrote:
Deinonysus wrote:Adrianslont's sentences are probably the best way to say it in US English as well.
Not disagreeing with you. However, Adrianslont's senteces contain both of "add me" and "would you like to add me". So the remaining question was more about whether "add me" sounds too direct to "the average US English speaker", not if all of Adrianslont's sentences can be used in US English as well.

I don't know about too direct, but it isn't a commonly used phrase so without context you wouldn't know what to add them to. That's why the other sentences work better.
0 x
/daɪ.nə.ˈnaɪ.səs/

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 608
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1323

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby CarlyD » Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:43 pm

SGP wrote:
Deinonysus wrote:Adrianslont's sentences are probably the best way to say it in US English as well.
Not disagreeing with you. However, Adrianslont's senteces contain both of "add me" and "would you like to add me". So the remaining question was more about whether "add me" sounds too direct to "the average US English speaker", not if all of Adrianslont's sentences can be used in US English as well.


Can't speak for all of US English, but casual California English, we'd generally drop the "contacts" and just say "add me to your phone" or "add me to your cell" or the even more casual "do you want to add me" with both cell phone and contacts assumed.
0 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1180 / 15000

User avatar
MorkTheFiddle
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2113
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 8:59 pm
Location: North Texas USA
Languages: English (N). Read (only) French and Spanish. Studying Ancient Greek. Studying a bit of Latin. Once studied Old Norse. Dabbled in Catalan, Provençal and Italian.
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 11#p133911
x 4823

Re: I didn't find this on the Internet can you help me?

Postby MorkTheFiddle » Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:51 pm

MarianoM wrote:How do I ask someone to put my cellphone number in his/her cellphone? In spanish we say "agendame" but I couldn't find an equivalent expression in English, maybe:

"Register me?" or "add me?" Maybe I'm wrong but none of these sound natural to me.

Thanks

My American method is, I hand them my phone and say, "Call yourself." Then I have their number in my dialed calls list and they have mine in their received calls list. They can add it to their contact list on their phone or not as they please. They can even not call themselves if they don't want to. Sometimes someone does not catch on right away, but the light goes on soon enough, and if not, I explain it to them. No one has ever seemed offended by this method, nor was I offended the first time someone used this tactic with me.
0 x
Many things which are false are transmitted from book to book, and gain credit in the world. -- attributed to Samuel Johnson


Return to “Practical Questions and Advice”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests