# What size are you?



## One Heart

Hi

I have come across this conversation in a book?

A. What size are you?
B. I am an extra large.

I have two points that I am not sure about:

1. I am not sure why B is grammatical and I don't know if I say 'I am large' does not mean that I am 'large' in the sense that I am fat.

2. Are there other ways to give your size?


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## Egmont

This may not be strictly grammatical, but it is the standard way that people give clothing sizes in English.

In a European store, "I am *a* 42" states my shoe size.

In any context, "I am 42" states my age. (Not mine, that was a long time ago, but shoes in a size corresponding to my present age do not exist.  )

This usage can be ambiguous. "I am a medium" can mean either "I wear this item of clothing in the medium size" or "I can communicate with the spirits of dead people." The context will usually clarify the meaning.


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## panjandrum

One Heart said:


> ...
> A. What size are you?
> B. I am an extra large.
> ...


That's a normal BE conversation too.
I would perhaps expect A to say "What is your size?" - but that's a small point.


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## One Heart

Thank you, Egmont, for your examples.


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## One Heart

Thank you, panjandrum!

I am thinking about how I can ask about the sizes of shoes and clothes. Should I keep *a* there as well?

Can I say something like:

Do you have a medium of this shirt?
Do you have a 42 of these shoes?


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## ewie

Hello OneHeart.  These are all things you're likely to hear in UK shops:
Shoes: _What size [shoe] do you take? / What size [shoe] are you?
Do you have these [shoes] in a 42? _[or _'an 8'_ if you're operating in the old measures, which are still commonly used.]
Clothes: _What size are you?
Do you have this [shirt] in a 44?

_[You don't really need to keep naming the garment: it's obvious what you're talking about from the circumstances]


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## Fabulist

One Heart said:


> Thank you, panjandrum!
> 
> I am thinking about how I can ask about the sizes of shoes and clothes. Should I keep *a* there as well?
> 
> Can I say something like:
> 
> Do you have a medium of this shirt?
> Do you have a 42 of these shoes?


 
No, for that kind of question you would ask whether they have them _in_ the size.

Do you have this shirt _in a medium_?
Do you have these shoes _in a 42?_
Do you have these shoes in _size 42?_

I'm only familiar with this stuff in American English, where 42 is a possible size for a men's suit, but not a shoe.  Size 15 is humungous for shoes, worn only by 7-foot basketball players.  But we could ask,

Do you have this suit _in a 42?_

If you are holding an example of the item—the shirt, the shoes, the suit—or pointing to it, you only need say,

Do you have this/these _in a_ _medium/42._


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## One Heart

ewie said:


> Hello OneHeart.  These are all things you're likely to hear in UK shops:
> Shoes: _What size [shoe] do you take? / What size [shoe] are you?
> Do you have these [shoes] in a 42? _[or _'an 8'_ if you're operating in the old measures, which are still commonly used.]
> Clothes: _What size are you?
> Do you have this [shirt] in a 44?
> 
> _[You don't really need to keep naming the garment: it's obvious what you're talking about from the circumstances]



If I say '_What *shoe *__size do you take? _


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## Fabulist

One Heart said:


> If I say '_What *shoe *__size do you take? _



If you say "What shoe size do you take," _what?
_
Do you have a question, and, if so, what is it?


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## One Heart

Is it correct?


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## GreenWhiteBlue

I would consider it more natural to say "What size shoes do you wear?"


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## Doggy2017

Egmont said:


> This may not be strictly grammatical, but it is the standard way that people give clothing sizes in English.
> 
> In a European store, "I am *a* 42" states my shoe size.
> 
> In any context, "I am 42" states my age. (Not mine, that was a long time ago, but shoes in a size corresponding to my present age do not exist.  )
> 
> This usage can be ambiguous. "I am a medium" can mean either "I wear this item of clothing in the medium size" or "I can communicate with the spirits of dead people." The context will usually clarify the meaning.



Hi Egmont, I' m personally  interested in knowing how an American would convey these concepts in day to day English. for instance, if I came into a shoe/clothing store in a mall in the U.S., and I were asked by the clerck
" what size do you wear" would "I'm an eight" or "I wear an eight" be the natural way for an American to respond to the clerck?

thanks a lot!


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## GreenWhiteBlue

No.  The question would be answered directly.  "What size do you wear" calls for the answer "I wear a size 8", although it would be more common to hear the simpler "Size 8", or even just "8."


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## Doggy2017

GreenWhiteBlue said:


> No.  The question would be answered directly.  "What size do you wear" calls for the answer "I wear a size 8", although it would be more common to hear the simpler "Size 8", or even just "8."



Hi GWB, I think I got your point; " What size do you  wear" - " I wear a size eight"  and  " what size are you/what's your size"- "I'm an eight". is that correct?


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## Phoebe1200

If you wear a size XXS, is saying "I wear an* extra extra* *small*" natural?


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## GreenWhiteBlue

No.  The question would be answered directly.


Doggy2017 said:


> Hi GWB, I think I got your point; " What size do you  wear" - " I wear a size eight"  and  " what size are you/what's your size"- "I'm an eight". is that correct?


No.

As I said in my post, If the clerk asked "What size do you wear?"  the answer he would hear would be the two words "Size 8."


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## Jimbob_Disco

Phoebe1200 said:


> If you wear a size XXS, is saying "I wear an* extra extra* *small*" natural?


Yes.


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## Doggy2017

GreenWhiteBlue said:


> No.  The question would be answered directly.
> 
> No.
> 
> As I said in my post, If the clerk asked "What size do you wear?"  the answer he would hear would be the two words "Size 8."



I see; Thanks for your time, GWB.


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## natkretep

As GWB said, if you're asked a question, you wouldn't normally answer in a full sentence. However, your sentence is grammatical. And so if I went up to the shop assistant, I might say, 'I'd like to try on this style of shoes. I'm a size 8/I take a size 8/I'm an 8/I take an 8.'


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## Phoebe1200

Jimbob_Disco said:


> Yes.


Thanks.

Is there any other way to say it? For example, would this be natural?

"I wear* double extra* *small*"


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## Jimbob_Disco

No, that wouldn't be said in spoken English.


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## Phoebe1200

Jimbob_Disco said:


> No, that wouldn't be said in spoken English.


Thank you Jimbob.


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## london calling

Phoebe1200 said:


> Thanks.
> 
> Is there any other way to say it? For example, would this be natural?
> 
> "I wear* double extra* *small*"


No, but I do say I say 'double XS' (or 'double/triple XL' - XXL/XXXL)


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## VicNicSor

natkretep said:


> As GWB said, if you're asked a question, you wouldn't normally answer in a full sentence. However, your sentence is grammatical. And so if I went up to the shop assistant, I might say, 'I'd like to try on this style of shoes. I'm *a* size 8/I take *a* size 8/I'm an 8/I take an 8.'


Would it be also correct to omit the red articles (I mean, in cases when we use the word "size")?..


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## 2PieRad

Hi


VicNicSor said:


> Would it be also correct to omit the red articles (I mean, in cases when we use the word "size")?..


No...it wouldn't sound right.


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## VicNicSor

Erebos12345 said:


> Hi
> 
> No...it wouldn't sound right.


Hi;
I just thought it followed the same pattern as, e.g.:
page 5
room 10
number 9
etc.

... i.e., when a number follows a noun. So, we can say "size" is kind of exception?...


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## 2PieRad

I'm not sure those examples are analogous. 

We're on page 5. 
He's in room 10.

What size are you? I'm a size 7. If you drop the _a_, it's not terribly jarring, but it still sounds off.


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## natkretep

'I am 8' refers to my age. 'I am an 8' refers to the size I take.

'I am small' refers to my overall build. 'I am a small' refers to my size.

Think of '(size) 8' or 'small' as nouns that take articles and can be pluralised. ('We're out of 8s.')


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## VicNicSor

Thank you for the replies.


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## Phoebe1200

london calling said:


> No, but I do say I say 'double XS' (or 'double/triple XL' - XXL/XXXL)


Thank you. And what if it's XXXXL or XXXXXL? How do you say that?


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## london calling

Phoebe1200 said:


> Thank you. And what if it's XXXXL or XXXXXL? How do you say that?


I have no idea. I have never come across these sizes before.


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## 2PieRad

Yeah. That's pretty uncommon. Quadruple extra large? Extra extra extra extra large? I think I prefer the former.

Quintuple extra large? Extra extra extra extra extra large? I think I prefer the latter.


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## Phoebe1200

Thank you for the replies.


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## Phoebe1200

Would you mind telling me if these are natural as well?

What size shirt do you wear? (in general)
What size shirt are you wearing? (right now)


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## Hermione Golightly

I wish I could say my size is ex-ex-ess. A better description would be 'ex-ex-excess'.
I wonder how many people these days actually ever *say* the X's, or indeed any size. Of course if you go into the sort of shop where an assistant comes up to help you, you will probably need to say your size.
As far as this quintuple +++ X's notion goes, such a person is so large that they probably need their own seamstress.
Both 'what size do you wear' and 'what size are you wearing' are perfectly possible. It depends entirely on the context.


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## You little ripper!

Phoebe1200 said:


> Thank you. And what if it's XXXXL or XXXXXL? How do you say that?


_Extra, extra, extra, extra large/Extra, extra, extra, extra extra large._



Phoebe1200 said:


> Would you mind telling me if these are natural as well?
> 
> What size shirt do you wear? (in general)
> What size shirt are you wearing? (right now)


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## natkretep

I really dislike that kind of sizing, and fortunately for me I have never encountered them. If I did encounter them, I might say quardruple XL and quintuple XL - and if the hearer looks flummoxed, I might say 'L with four/five Xs'. If we're talking about tee-shirts, it would be more sensible to give chest measurements - 36, 40, 44, 48, 52 inches and so on.

The questions in post 34 are fine.


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## dojibear

Hermione Golightly said:


> As far as this quintuple +++ X's notion goes, such a person is so large that they probably need their own seamstress.



I sometimes shop at the "Tall and Large" men's clothing store (in the US). There, and at some large department stores, some clothing goes up to 6X in width, and up to 6X in height. 

Most clothing larger than XXL is not written by adding more X's. Instead they write 2XL, 3XL etc. Height may be 3XL too (which is confusing) or 3XT ('T' stands for "tall").


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## You little ripper!

dojibear said:


> Most clothing larger than XXL is not written by adding more X's. Instead they write 2XL, 3XL etc. Height may be 3XL too (which is confusing) or 3XT ('T' stands for "tall").


That's a lot easier!


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## Phoebe1200

I appreciate everyone's replies.


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## zaffy

So speaking of the size of your shoes, are there three options?  I.e., I omit the word 'shoe', I use the singular form or I use plural plural form? right? 


-What size shoe(s) do you take?
-What size shoe(s) do you wear?
-What size shoe(s) are you?

-What size do you take?
-What size do you wear?
-What size are you?


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## kentix

I think shoes are spoken about differently.

"What size shoe do you wear?" is the only standard way to ask that question that I know of.


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## Loob

zaffy said:


> So speaking of the size of your shoes, are there three options?  I.e., I omit the word 'shoe', I use the singular form or I use plural plural form? ...


I think I'd say:
_- What size shoes do you take?
- What size do you take in shoes?_
Or, if it's clear we're talking about shoes:
_- What size do you take?_

Other options:
_- What's your shoe size?
- What size are you? _(again where the context is clear.)

I don't think I'd use kentix's "wear", and it's clear he wouldn't use my "take".


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## lingobingo

For me it would probably be “What shoe size are you?”.


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## You little ripper!

I’d say,_ What size shoe are you? _(a slight variation of lingobingo’s suggestion). It’s a bit silly because people aren’t shoe sizes. The most logical are the first 4 options by Loob and kentix’s suggestion.


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## kentix

Loob said:


> and it's clear he wouldn't use my "take"


When the clerk isn't looking, I take all the size 10s (and try them on later at home).

Actually, now that I've had time to think about it, I could see that being said in the store by the clerk, when helping you find a pair. But I can't see it said among friends.

But "What shoe size are you?" is sounding familiar now, too.


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## Englishmypassion

I'd say "What size shoes do you wear?" or "What's your shoe size?"


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