# Confirm



## roniy

does anybody can give me sentences with this ward... I mean deffernte uses with this ward

thanks


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## VenusEnvy

roniy said:
			
		

> does anybody can give me sentences with this ward... I mean deffernte uses with this ward


Can you *confirm * that you meant to say "word"?


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## roniy

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> Can you *confirm *that you meant say to "word"?


 
this is the only use ??


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## Eddie

Recent events in the General Assembly of the United Nations confirm that the cold war will remain with us, and probably intensify, for the foreseeable future.

She studied him hopefully, yearningly; against the limitless background of sky and wasteland it was easy to confirm her analysis. Here in the God-forsaken place, the westerly end of nowhere...

Robinson was guilty, and, following the honorable route that would eventually lead to the dueling ground, sent a message to Robinson through his friends, demanding that he either confirm or deny his complicity.

Although the present study was not a direct replication of their investigations, the results do not confirm their conclusion.


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## roniy

all right I think I understand....
these sentnces are correct :
1)  " I confirmed(verfiy) with her if we go home".
2) "I confirmed the information she gave me and it was correct"

thanks


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## VenusEnvy

roniy said:
			
		

> Are  these sentnces correct :
> 1)  " I confirmed(verfiy) with her if we go home".
> 2) "I confirmed the information she gave me and it was correct"


1. I confirmed with her that we were going home.
2. I confirmed that the information she gave me was correct.

Looks good, ron!


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## roniy

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> 1. I confirmed with her that we were going home.
> 2. I confirmed that the information she gave me was correct.
> 
> Looks good, ron!


 
thank you I understand my mistake in the second sentence but not in the first.....
why it can't be with "if" and how you didit ? it sounds odd no ??? can you explain me please why my is wrong ???
and at the first sentnce I wanted to use "confirm" as "varify"

thanks


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## VenusEnvy

roniy said:
			
		

> why it can't be with "if" and how you did sounds odd no ??? can you explain me please why my is wrong ???


If you confirmed it (made sure that is was true), there is no doubt.

You know? . . .


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## roniy

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> If you confirmed it (made sure that is was true), there is no doubt.
> 
> You know? . . .


 
even if confirm=verify ?


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## VenusEnvy

roniy said:
			
		

> even if confirm=verify ?



EDIT: Let me think about this some more. I know of some examples where "if" works....



I see what the difference is....

*I confirmed / verified that she was going home.*
In this sentence, confirmed is in the past tense. It happened. You already received your answer. It is true, she's going home.

*I need to confirm / verify if she's going home.*
In this sentence, you are telling what you need to confirm. It's not true yet, so there's doubt.


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## roniy

all right I think I got you ...... thanks


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## roniy

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> EDIT: Let me think about this some more. I know of some examples where "if" works....
> 
> 
> 
> I see what the difference is....
> 
> *I confirmed / verified that she was going home.*
> In this sentence, confirmed is in the past tense. It happened. You already received your answer. It is true, she's going home.
> 
> *I need to confirm / verify if she's going home.*
> In this sentence, you are telling what you need to confirm. It's not true yet, so there's doubt.


 
all right ........ thank you very much 

so confirm and verify exactly the same right?


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## roniy

and also if you say " I am confirming if she is going home" , it will be ok right???


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## Eddie

You don't use _if_ with the word _verify _either, Ron.


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## roniy

Eddie said:
			
		

> You don't use _if_ with the word _verify _either, Ron.


 
buy VenusEnvy has just said that we can use "if" with confirm and verify when there is still doubt...


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## Eddie

You misunderstood what Venus said. If implies doubt. When you verify or confirm something, you remove that doubt. Got it?

Go here for more examples (type the word confirm in the search area.


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## roniy

Look what I have found :
http://sara.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/saraWeb?qy=confirm+if

it even says that with the past it is good


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## Eddie

Ron, I'm glad you took my advice and went to the BNC site to see more examples, but you're pulling all of this out of context.

In YOUR two sentences, a situation has already been confirmed... therefore, you don't use if.

The examples you found in the BNC deal with a situation in which no confirmation is possible. Do you understand?


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## roniy

not really...... can you give me examples for what you mean?


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## VenusEnvy

I would use "if" with verify...

"I'd like for you to verify if (_whether _ actually sounds better) your sources are credible or not."


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## roniy

and I am talking not just in the past but also in the present like VenusEnvy said...... he gave me examples in present with "if"


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## Eddie

I'm referring to your two sentences:

1) " I confirmed(verfiy) with her if we go home".
2) "I confirmed the information she gave me and it was correct"

 If you confirmed it, there is no more doubt involved.
 
You could say, "I wanted to confirm if we coud go home."


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## Eddie

No contradiction here. The verification process hasn't been completed yet. That's why you can use if.


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## roniy

let me see if I understand :

1) what did you want from her? 
I just wanted to confirm/verify with her if she went home ????? 

it sounds and looks correct isnt it ??
2) I am confirming if you are going home ..... this also sounds ok.......

3) or like in your site I am confirming if she went to school
can you tell me if these are ok ????


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## Eddie

1) what did you want from her? 
 I just wanted to confirm/verify with her if she went home. 
 2) I am confirming if you are going home. 
 3) I am confirming if she went to school


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## roniy

ok now I think I really got it  thank you for the help


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## Eddie

You're very welcome, Ron. Good luck.


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## panjandrum

Because something appears in the BNC does not mean that it is endorsed as an acceptable usage. In this case, it simply means that three examples of "confirm if" have been found. 
If you had searched for "confirm that" you would have found that there are 871 examples - which makes the 3 for "confirm if" very unusual.


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## Eddie

I agree, Pan. But Roni's question was about the use of if, and that's the issue I addressed.


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## roniy

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Because something appears in the BNC does not mean that it is endorsed as an acceptable usage. In this case, it simply means that three examples of "confirm if" have been found.
> If you had searched for "confirm that" you would have found that there are 871 examples - which makes the 3 for "confirm if" very unusual.


 
becuase the "comfirm" you find dont mean the same as "verify"


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## gaer

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Because something appears in the BNC does not mean that it is endorsed as an acceptable usage. In this case, it simply means that three examples of "confirm if" have been found.
> If you had searched for "confirm that" you would have found that there are 871 examples - which makes the 3 for "confirm if" very unusual.


Results *1* - *10* of about *212,000* for *"confirm if"*
Results *1* - *10* of about *8,110,000* for *"confirm that"*. 

This is using Google only to check usage, which does not necessarily have anything to do with what is right. 

Personally, I don't like the sound of "confirm if". Perhaps other people will be able to find a rule. 

Gaer


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## roniy

gaer said:
			
		

> Results *1* - *10* of about *212,000* for *"confirm if"*
> Results *1* - *10* of about *8,110,000* for *"confirm that"*.
> 
> This is using Google only to check usage, which does not necessarily have anything to do with what is right.
> 
> Personally, I don't like the sound of "confirm if". Perhaps other people will be able to find a rule.
> 
> Gaer


why you think its wrong to use " confirm if"
with what I understand it's the same as " I am chacking/confirming if she want to go home"....


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## panjandrum

There is no doubt in my mind that neither "confirm if" nor "verify if" are normal BE. I am not going to confirm or verify a conditional statement.  There seems to be a difference between AE and BE on this point.

I am going to confirm or verify a fact, or a statement (that I suspect is probably true).

So, what would I say in the examples given?



			
				roniy said:
			
		

> 1) what did you want from her?
> I just wanted to confirm/verify with her if she went home ?????
> *I just wanted her to confirm that she went home.*
> I wouldn't use verify in this situation at all.
> 
> 
> 2) I am confirming if you are going home
> *Can you confirm that you are going home?*
> 
> 3)I am confirming if she went to school
> *I am trying to confirm that she went to school*
> or
> *I am trying to find out if she went to school*


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## foxfirebrand

panjandrum said:
			
		

> There is no doubt in my mind that neither "confirm if" nor "verify if" are normal BE. *I am not going to confirm or verify a conditional statement*.


 
My AE sense is the same, and the boldface part gets right at the reason why.


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## panjandrum

Ah, good to hear that ffb - but there seem to be differing views over there?
This side of the pond everyone else seems to be on holiday


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## gaer

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Ah, good to hear that ffb - but there seem to be differing views over there?
> This side of the pond everyone else seems to be on holiday


My view is the same. But what is "ffb". I don't think it's an AE/BE thing at all. 

Gaer


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## panjandrum

gaer said:
			
		

> My view is the same. But what is "ffb". I don't think it's an AE/BE thing at all.
> 
> Gaer


Sorry: ffb = foxfirebrand. 
It is beginning to look llike there is no real difference across the Atlantic on this one.


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## gaer

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> *I need to confirm / verify if she's going home.*
> In this sentence, you are telling what you need to confirm. It's not true yet, so there's doubt.


In such a sentence, I would not use either of those verbs. I would say:

I need to find out if…
I need to check to see if…

However, I don't know of any rule that makes my choice of words any more right than yours. This may just be style and region. 

Gaer


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## roniy

I Just wanna say why I have problems with this word. Because in my native language I can say in either ways for example:

I am confirming/verifing/cheching that she is going home
I am confirming/verifying/checking if she is going home

but this sounds me a bit strange:
 I confirmed with her that they went home

For me  " I confirmed with her if they went home" sounds better but.....you say its wrong so I dont .......


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## roniy

Or even here :
"I am confirming with her if she will go home today"

its like you say: 

I" want to ask her if she will go home today....."


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## roniy

Also I think if you use " I want to confirm that he is coming" here you prrety sure may be you asked him before and now you want ask him again .

and when you ask "I want to confirm if he is coming " you dont know if he is coming and may be you are calling him to check if he is coming

like "I want to check if he is coming"

that what I mean ..........


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## gaer

roniy said:
			
		

> Also I think if you use " I want to confirm that he is coming" here you prrety sure may be you asked him before and now you want ask him again .
> 
> and when you ask "I want to confirm if he is coming " you dont know if he is coming and may be you are calling him to check if he is coming
> 
> like "I want to check if he is coming"
> 
> that what I mean ..........


I have a suggestion. Why don't you avoid using "confirm" unless you have to use it? Isn't it enough to understand it when you read it and hear other people talk about it?

For instance:

"I want to confirm that he is coming." 
_"I want to make sure that he is coming."_ 

"I want to confirm if he is coming "
_"I want to check [to see] if he is coming [or not]."_ 

"Confirm" is a good word to use formally. For instance:

"I want to confirm his arrival." (formal)

The sentences in italics are merely my suggestions, based on the way I speak informally. 

Gaer


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