Sit down to a meal meaning in English
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Definition
to sit down to a meal (as a family): to sit and eat together (as a family)
a sit down restaurant: a traditional restaurant with chairs (not a fast food restaurant)
Examples
- "The average American family can't afford to dine in sit down restaurants anymore."
Exercise 1
Jean Marron makes some mistakes in this dialogue. Let's help him improve his English!
Choose the most appropriate idiomatic expression in the sentences below.
Jean: One moment please! I arrive! ---> One moment please! !
Jean: ...and then we can go at table. ---> ...and then .
Choose the most appropriate idiomatic expression in the sentences below.
Jean: One moment please! I arrive! ---> One moment please! !
Jean: ...and then we can go at table. ---> ...and then .
Jean Marron makes some mistakes in this dialogue. Let's help him improve his English!
Choose the most appropriate idiomatic expression in the sentences below.
Jean: One moment please! I arrive! ---> One moment please! I'm coming 1!
Jean: ...and then we can go at table. ---> ...and then we can sit down to dinner 2.
Choose the most appropriate idiomatic expression in the sentences below.
Jean: One moment please! I arrive! ---> One moment please! I'm coming 1!
Jean: ...and then we can go at table. ---> ...and then we can sit down to dinner 2.
1 I'm coming: "I'm coming" is what we say to let someone know that we are on our way. Example: "-Hurry up, or we'll be late! -I'm coming!". When someone knocks on our door, we say "I'm coming" to tell them that we will soon come and open the door.
1 I'm going: It does not make sense to say "I'm going" in this context. To "go" is to "leave": quite the opposite of Jean's meaning in this sentence. Moreover, this is not the idiom we use to tell someone we are coming to open the door.
1 I go: It does not make sense to say " go" in this context. To "go" is to "leave": quite the opposite of Jean's meaning in this sentence. Moreover, this is not the idiom we use to tell someone we are coming to open the door.
1 I come: It does not make sense to use the present simple tense here, because Jean is not expressing that coming to answer the door is a habitual action for him. Rather, we need the present progressive tense to describe an action in progress.
2 we can sit down to dinner: This is the best choice here. To "sit down to a meal" is to find a seat at the table and begin eating. Example: "Nowadays, not many families sit down to dinner together".
2 we can begin the table: It does not make sense to "begin a table". We can "begin a book" because people will understand that we are reading or writing it, but we cannot "begin a table".
2 we can set the table: This is not the best answer here. To "set the table" is to put plates, knives, forks, and glasses on it in preparation for a meal. Jean is not asking his guests to do this.
2 we can set up the table: This is not the best answer here. To "set up (a meeting)" is to arrange it. To "set up" a piece of furniture is to "assemble" or "build" it. Neither of these meanings makes sense here.
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