# I think so



## talassalum

Could anybody tell me when do you use the word so (as in I think so) to point back to something already said? Because you would never say smth like *I saw so, would you?
Thanks


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## blasita

talassalum said:


> Could anybody tell me when do you use the word so (as in I think so) to point back to something already said? Because you would never say smth like *I saw so, would you?
> Thanks



Hello.

_So_ can be used after some verbs, like _hope, expect, suppose, believe, guess, think, be afraid_ instead of repeating words in a that-clause.

I know that you can´t say "I know so". I wouldn´t say "I saw so", but I´m a non-native speaker.

Please wait for more and better answers.  Saludos.


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## Masood

Hi

Hay algunos ejemplos útiles del uso de 'so' en el hilo de abajo:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/so_3

Espero que te ayude.


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## blasita

Masood said:


> Hi
> 
> Hay algunos ejemplos útiles del uso de 'so' en el hilo de abajo:
> 
> http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/so_3
> 
> Espero que te ayude.



Pero entonces, Masood, tú no dirías "I saw so", ¿no?

Gracias.


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## ribran

blasita said:


> Hello.
> 
> _So_ can be used after some verbs, like _hope, expect, suppose, believe, guess, think, be afraid_ instead of repeating words in a that-clause.
> 
> I know that you can´t say "I know so". I wouldn´t say "I saw so", but I´m a non-native speaker.
> 
> Please wait for more and better answers.  Saludos.



Hmm, "I know so" doesn't sound so odd to me.

_A: Do you really think so?
B: I know so!_


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## Masood

blasita said:


> Pero entonces, Masood, tú no dirías "I saw so", ¿no?
> 
> Gracias.


No, nunca lo diría. Si lo dijeras, te entendería (probablemente), pero no suena nada natural.

I might say "I saw it." or "I saw that.", depending on the context.


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## blasita

ribran said:


> Hmm, "I know so" doesn't sound so odd to me.
> 
> _A: Do you really think so?
> B: I know so!_



Thanks, Ribran. But e.g. "You´re late." "I know so." (This example is from a grammar book (BrE), and it says it´s wrong.)



Masood said:


> No, nunca lo diría. Si lo dijeras, te entendería (probablemente), pero no suena nada natural.
> 
> I might say "I saw it." or "I saw that.", depending on the context.



Yo también lo diría así (qué ilusión). Gracias, Masood.

Saludos a ambos.


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## ribran

blasita said:


> Thanks, Ribran. But e.g. "You´re late." "I know so." (This is from a grammar book (BrE), and it says it´s wrong.)



Yes, I agree with your grammar book in this case.

According to _Advanced Grammar in Use_ by Martin Hewings, 

_In informal English, particularly in an argument, we can use '*I know so*'_.


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## ribran

Masood said:


> No, nunca lo diría. Si lo dijeras, te entendería (probablemente), pero no suena nada natural.
> 
> I might say "I saw it." or "I saw that.", depending on the context.



Estoy de acuerdo con Masood.


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## Masood

blasita said:


> _So_ can be used after some verbs, like _hope, expect, suppose, believe, guess, think, be afraid_ instead of repeating words in a that-clause.


Interesting. 
Looking at that list of verbs, they are all verbs of emotion or express doubt, feelings, aspirations, etc.


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## blasita

Masood said:


> Interesting.
> Looking at that list of verbs, they are all verbs of emotion or express doubt, feelings, aspirations, etc.



Thanks, Masood, but I´m not sure mine is a complete list. But yes, I think we could add e.g. _seem, appear_. So, trying to answer Talassalum´s question, I´m not sure whether perception verbs, like "see, hear, feel", would sound natural here (or maybe only in some contexts and informally, as Ribran said).

Saludos.


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## ribran

blasita said:


> Thanks, Masood, but I´m not sure mine is a complete list. But yes, I think we could add e.g. _seem, appear_. So, trying to answer Talassalum´s question, I´m not sure whether perception verbs, like "see, hear, feel", would sound natural here (or maybe only in some contexts and informally, as Ribran said).
> 
> Saludos.



I would say that _I know so_ can be used as an emphatic affirmation of one's belief in the truth of a previously made claim.

_(B has just claimed that the moon is made of cheese.) A: Do you really think so?
B: I know so!_


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## blasita

ribran said:


> I would say that _I know so_ can be used as an emphatic affirmation of one's belief in the truth of a previously made claim.
> 
> _(B has just claimed that the moon is made of cheese.) A: Do you really think so?
> B: I know so!_



OK, let me see if I´ve got this right. In these cases, any verb could be used before "so" (not only "know"); is this right, please? Thanks.


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## ribran

blasita said:


> OK, let me see if I´ve got this right. In these cases, any verb could be used before "so" (not only "know"); is this right, please? Thanks.



No, not with any verb.

_Suppose, believe, guess, hope, expect, be afraid, know_ (informally), _etc._


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## Wandering JJ

In many cases the use of _so_ in these expressions is equivalent to the Spanish use of _que sí_:

supongo que sí
espero que sí
creo que sí
me imagino que sí

Sin embargo, no diríamos _yo vi que sí. _

We use _so_ when agreeing with a _yes/no_ question rather than repeating the 'that clause'. If we *disagree*, we use _not_. It doesn't work in all cases, but the following are pretty standard in spoken (Brit.)English:

I think not
I fear not
I hope not
I expect not
I suppose not
I believe not
I guess not
I'm afraid not

Saludos


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## nangueyra

talassalum said:


> Could anybody tell me when do you use the word so (as in I think so) to point back to something already said? Because you would never say smth like *I saw so, would you?
> Thanks


 
Hola

No podés poner más de un verbo en pregunta en una oración. Sólo el verbo principal, el resto va en afirmativo.

Could anybody tell me when you use/to use/I must use ...?


Saludos


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## blasita

Wandering JJ said:


> In many cases the use of _so_ in these expressions is equivalent to the Spanish use of _que sí_:
> 
> supongo que sí
> espero que sí
> creo que sí
> me imagino que sí
> 
> Sin embargo, no diríamos _yo vi que sí. _
> 
> We use _so_ when agreeing with a _yes/no_ question rather than repeating the 'that clause'. If we *disagree*, we use _not_. It doesn't work in all cases, but the following are pretty standard in spoken (Brit.)English:
> 
> I think not
> I fear not
> I hope not
> I expect not
> I suppose not
> I believe not
> I guess not
> I'm afraid not
> 
> Saludos



Gracias, Wandering.

Nunca había pensado antes en la traducción exacta, pero creo que también se podría traducir como "(Sí), eso creo."  De la misma manera, p.ej. podría decirse "Eso vi/Que sí lo vi/Así lo vi". Por eso supongo que la traducción no sería suficiente como para definir exactamente los verbos que en inglés podrían usarse de esta manera (ojalá esté equivocada ).

Un saludo.


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## Masood

blasita said:


> Thanks, Masood, but I´m not sure mine is a complete list. But yes, I think we could add e.g. _seem, appear_. So, trying to answer Talassalum´s question, I´m not sure whether perception verbs, like "see, hear, feel", would sound natural here (or maybe only in some contexts and informally, as Ribran said).
> 
> Saludos.


Thinking about it, you can use 'so' with 'hear' and 'see'. The first reply could sound slightly twee, the second humorous/sarcastic

-_Mary is getting married to John!
-Yes, so I hear!_

-_Oh dear, I've just spilt my coffee on the floor!
- So I see!_


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## blasita

Masood said:


> Thinking about it, you can use 'so' with 'hear' and 'see'. The first reply could sound slightly twee, the second humorous/sarcastic
> 
> -_Mary is getting married to John!
> -Yes, so I hear!_
> 
> -_Oh dear, I've just spilt my coffee on the floor!
> - So I see!_



Cheers, Masood.  But it wouldn´t work the same way if you place "so" after "hear" and "see" in the above examples (e.g. "Yes, I hear so!), would it?


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## Masood

blasita said:


> Cheers, Masood.  But it wouldn´t work the same way if you place "so" after "hear" and "see" in the above examples (e.g. "Yes, I hear so!), would it?


Hmm. It wouldn't sound natural, in my opinion.


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## blasita

Masood said:


> Hmm. It wouldn't sound natural, in my opinion.



Thank you, Masood.


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## ribran

Yes, I agree with Masood that we can say, "So I hear/see!" or, "I see/hear that!"


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## talassalum

OK, thank you very much. You have settled my doubts!

and thanks nangueyra, that was a big mistake!


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## inib

Wandering JJ said:


> If we *disagree*, we use _not_. It doesn't work in all cases, but the following are pretty standard in spoken (Brit.)English:
> 
> I think not
> I fear not
> I hope not
> I expect not
> I suppose not
> I believe not
> I guess not
> I'm afraid not
> 
> Saludos


 
I'm afraid I'm going to complicate this further. While I would definitely use "I hope not", "I'm afraid not" and "I guess not", I'd probably be more likely to say "I don't think so", "I don't believe so", and with _suppose_ and _expect_, I might use either version. Am I weird?


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## mimosa23

inib said:


> I'm afraid I'm going to complicate this further. While I would definitely use "I hope not", "I'm afraid not" and "I guess not", I'd probably be more likely to say "I don't think so", "I don't believe so", and with _suppose_ and _expect_, I might use either version. Am I weird?


 
No! I agree with you, and I'd say the choice depends on what you want to convey.

I don't think so sounds slightly doubtful - you could be wrong.
I think not is quite definite - you're not standing for any argument!


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## ribran

inib said:


> I'm afraid I'm going to complicate this further. While I would definitely use "I hope not", "I'm afraid not" and "I guess not", I'd probably be more likely to say "I don't think so", "I don't believe so", and with _suppose_ and _expect_, I might use either version. Am I weird?



This is so interesting to me, because Austinites often put on their best RP accent to say, "I think not!"


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## inib

ribran said:


> This is so interesting to me, because Austinites often put on their best RP accent to say, "I think not!"


 Well, precisely I wouldn't say "I think not", or "I fear not" because it sounds old-fashioned and "stuffy" to me. Maybe I'm just "common"!


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## Wandering JJ

inib said:


> Well, precisely I wouldn't say "I think not", or "I fear not" because it sounds old-fashioned and "stuffy" to me. Maybe I'm just "common"!


 
Maybe I'm just old-fashioned


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## inib

mimosa23 said:


> No! I agree with you, and I'd say the choice depends on what you want to convey.
> 
> I don't think so sounds slightly doubtful - you could be wrong.
> I think not is quite definite - you're not standing for any argument!


 That's a good explanation, Mimosa. _I think not_ is much firmer than _I don't think so_ to my understanding too.


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## mimosa23

inib said:


> That's a good explanation, Mimosa. _I think not_ is much firmer than _I don't think so_ to my understanding too.


 
Thank-you! I agree that it can sound a little old fashioned, but it can also be used as a polite way of saying 'no'.

I used to use it all the time with a boss who constantly asked if I could do the impossible. Him: 'Can you have it ready by tomorrow?' Me (sadly): 'I think not.'

I also used it when my children were little in an attempt to impart some manners, perhaps in response to a request for chocolate just before dinner!


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