Tommy
Does "They have a pen" in English means there is only one pen for them? Or does it means one pen for each of them?
3 sept. 2010 05:10
Réponses · 5
1
Yes. They are in possession of exactly one pen. But there might be another pen in existence. If there is no other pen nearby, you say "They have the pen." For multiple pens in their possession you could say "They each have a pen."
3 septembre 2010
(removed my comment)
4 septembre 2010
A simple sentence has a lot meaning,,~ how funny English is ~
4 septembre 2010
"A pen" is singular, so there is one pen to share between them. "They have (some) pens" means there are several pens, but it's not clear if there are enough pens, or too many. Christopher's example of "they each have a pen" means every person has their own pen. :)
4 septembre 2010
I think all of them have a one pen only !!
3 septembre 2010
Vous n'avez pas encore trouvé vos réponses ?
Écrivez vos questions et profitez de l'aide des locuteurs natifs !