A lot of you liked my email from a few weeks ago, when I told you about some interesting expressions I found in 'Handmaid’s Tale.’ So I’ve decided to continue this topic, and today I have for you a nice phrase from „The Act.”
„Do say hello for us”
The expression „say hello for us” itself is confusing to many Polish speakers. We use it when we want someone to tell a third person that we’re thinking of them. In Polish we say „pozdrów (go) od nas”. So, when your best friend Zuzia is visiting you, at the end you can say to her: „Say hello to your husband for me,” and when she gets back home, she’ll tell her husband that you’re thinking warmly of him.
But the thing that’s really puzzling is the use of „do” at the beginning! Do you know why it is used here? After all, isn’t „do” used only in questions?
Well, „do” is used here for emphasis. When you want to make your statement stronger, you can add the auxiliary (czasownik posiłkowy) to the sentence. So, „do say hello” means „please, please, please, I really want you to say hello.”
Similarly, you can say „do come for dinner” (when you really want someone to come for dinner), „she does bake great muffins” (oh yeah, those muffins really rock!), „I do love chocolate” (I love it very much).
So, we’ve had a look at an interesting expression, and a nice grammar phenomenon. Did you like them? Can you make your own sentences with them? You can put your ideas in the comments, and I’ll tell you if you’re using them correctly. 🙂
