Run fast so you'll be in time

hirashin

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• #1

Dear native English speakers.
I have another question.
Would you use (a) and (be) interchangeably?
(a) Run fast, and you'll be in time.
(b) Run fast so you'll be in time.

Thanks in advance.
Hirashin

 

OoTmaster

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• 2 Feb 2017

• #2

They can be used interchangeably. The only correction I would make is to change "in" to "on" in each sentence. "Run fast, and you'll be on time." "Run fast so you'll be on time." If you like "in time" I would change the sentence a little bit, "If you hurry, you'll make it in time." (it refers to the destination you will be hurrying to in this sentence)

 

J

johnnyG

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• #3

For the short versions I agree that "on" sounds better. Add something (which, given some context, might be implied in the short versions) and "in" is the best choice.

....in time to get on the train.
...in time to make it thru (airport) security.
...in time for the beginning of the ~

 

hirashin

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• #4

Thanks for the useful information, johnnyG. I appreciate it.

 

nice gaijin

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• #5

To be honest, I probably wouldn't say either of these in most situations. I'd sooner say either
"run fast if you want to be on time" or
"run fast or you'll be late"

 

J

johnnyG

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• #6

nice gaijin said:

"run fast if you want to be on time"

Click to expand...

Just a rephrasing, same thing. Extend it with:

...on time for the ~

or change it and add the same, earlier suggestions:

Run fast if you want to be (there)
...in time to get on the train.
...in time to make it thru (airport) security.
...in time for the beginning of the ~

 

hirashin

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• 5 Feb 2017

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• #7

Thanks for the help, nicegaijin san and johnnyG san.

nice gaijin said:

To be honest, I probably wouldn't say either of these in most situations. I'd sooner say either
"run fast if you want to be on time" or
"run fast or you'll be late"

Click to expand...

You don't say "Run fast if you want to be in time"., do you?
How about "Run fast if you want to be in time for school"?

Hirashin

 

nice gaijin

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• #8

There's nothing grammatically wrong with them, but hearing them, I have to contrive a scenario where they feel like the natural phrasing I'd use, so they probably wouldn't be my first choice.

It's like the difference between saying 間に合いたいなら走って and 走らないと遅刻するよ。While the first one isn't wrong, depending on the person they may be more likely to choose the second.

 

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johnnyG

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johnnyG said:

....in time to get on the train.
...in time to make it thru (airport) security.
...in time for the beginning of the ~

Click to expand...

Tho some people might do them daily, I'd point out that the first two are generally irregular events, and for the third I was thinking beginning of the concert/lecture/sale/etc. This one implies in time for something to happen. (for something to work out as you'd hoped it would) You get to work on time, but you get to work in time for the morning meeting.

With work or school, they are things that are regularly scheduled, and you are expected to be there at a certain time. Thus, you get to school/work on time, but you get to work in time to meet the boss before he leaves on a trip, or you might get to school in time to get a seat for a guest lecture.

A concert starts on time when it starts as scheduled, but a singer, caught in traffic, might luckily get to the venue in time, to start the concert on time.