Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
Go with - come with	riccioni	04/17/04
Dear ESL Experts: In the following dialogue, should I use "I'll go with you/I'm going with you" or "I'll come with you/I'm coming with you"? By the way, should B say "I'll go/come with you" or "I'm going/coming with you"? A: I'm going to the supermarket. B: I'm going with you. / I'll go with you. - I'm coming with you. / I'll come with you. ------------------------------------------------------ In the statment below, should I use "go with me" or "come with me"? "I'm going to the supermarket. Would you like to go with me?" or "I'm going to the supermarket. Would you like to come with me?" Again, many, many thanks for your kind help. Regards, Paolo
Answered By		Answered On
voiceguy2000		04/17/04
A: I’m going to the supermarket. B: I’m going with you. / I’ll go with you. - I’m coming with you. / I’ll come with you. All four of these variations are grammatical and could be used. "Go" and "come" are both commonly used in this kind of conversation. The versions that say I’m going and I’m coming would sound somewhat aggressive or assertive if coming from an adult. A child would be more likely to use these forms, and a child's assertiveness would be more readily tolerated. An adult B might use the going/coming form where he or she was quite concerned about A's welfare in going to the store. Thus, if A was a pregnant woman late in her term, and B was her husband, B might say I’m going with you or I’m coming with you as a way of indicating his concern for her, given her condition. Similarly, in a suspense novel, if A was the expected target of a mysterious assailant and B was determined to protect A, B might use the going/coming form to indicate that B intended to accompany A, with no discussion on the subject allowed. With the going/coming form, if A disagrees with the idea of being accompanied by B, a dispute will arise. It is not that B has offered to accompany A, which A can accept or not; rather, B has announced an intention to accompany A, which A will have to overrule if A prefers not to have B along. By contrast, to my ear, I’ll go with you and I’ll come with you sound more polite and affectionate -- rather than coming across as insistent, they behave more like courteous offers. A's response to B could cover a wide range of alternatives: That's awfully kind of you. That's great. We'll get done twice as fast. Thank you, B, but I'll be fine on my own. That's so kind, B, but I would hate for you to miss your favorite TV program while we're out. In other words, the I’ll go/I’ll come form leaves more discretion in A to accept or decline the idea of B accompanying A to the store. “I’m going to the supermarket. Would you like to go with me?” or “I’m going to the supermarket. Would you like to come with me?” As far as I know, there is no difference in these two forms. Both would be acceptable, and both would convey precisely the same meaning. Both forms are in common use.

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