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"I have a date tonight."

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Jul 27th 2010 10:41 language phrase question relationship
If my coworker say, “I have a date tonight,” I will think he has a girlfriend. At least in Japan, most people would think so, I assume.
When I talked about it to one of my American friends, he said, “I would think he doesn’t have a steady yet and he is looking for a girlfriend.” I was a little surprised
He said, “If he has a date with his girlfriend, not with a potential girlfriend, he will say he has a date with his girlfriend.”

The definition of “Date” on a dictionary is “a meeting that you have arranged with a boyfriend or girlfriend or with somebody who might become a boyfriend or girlfriend,” and it is the same in Japan.
However, maybe “I have a date tonight,” has slight different nuances between in America and Japan.

In Japan, if a married man simply says, “I have a date tonight,” I would be a little confused and feel like asking him, “with whom?” In this case, “I have a date with my wife tonight,” would be natural for me.
I imagine Americans feel the way like this, even if the man is not married, as long as he has a girlfriend.

Japanese has a lot of loanwords from English, but they often have different meanings or nuances from the original words. I have to be careful.
aoiahiru
Jul 27th 2010 10:50
It might just depend on the person. Traditionally, the understood meaning of "date" is a romantic meeting between a boyfriend and girlfriend, or two people who are interested in becoming boyfriend and girl friend. But you also hear of married people going out on dates, and even children going on dates with their parents (although this is a more recent use of the word "date"). When I was little, my sister and I used to have "Date Night" with our parents, where they would take turns taking us out to fun places on the weekend. Imagine saying this: "Tonight is my date night with Dad!" Sounds pretty funny, huh!? LoL.
Aumsung
Thank you for your correction!
Jul 27th 2010 11:18
  • However, maybe “I have a date tonight,” has slight different nuances between in America and Japan.

  • However, maybe “I have a date tonight,” has slightly different nuances between in America and Japan.

 
  • I imagine Americans feel the way like this, even if the man is not married, as long as he has a girlfriend.

  • I imagine Americans feel the same way like this, even if the man is not married, as long as he has a girlfriend. Either I don't know what you're trying to say or this need to be reworded somehow.

 
I don't think it's a huge difference really. It's just the idea that some people will date many people sometimes at the same time to see which one they want to pursue. Plus, a date just means a agreed meeting as well. "I have a date with Death."

Have a good one.
Tisane
Thank you for your correction!
Jul 27th 2010 14:12
  • If my coworker say, “I have a date tonight,” I will think he has a girlfriend.

  • If my coworker says, “I have a date tonight,” I will think he has a girlfriend.

 
  • At least in Japan, most people would think so, I assume.

  • At least in Japan, I think most people would assume so, I assume.

 
  • When I talked about it to one of my American friends, he said, “I would think he doesn’t have a steady yet and he is looking for a girlfriend.” I was a little surprised

  • When I talked about it to one of my American friends, he said, “I would think he doesn’t have a steady girlfriend yet and he is looking for one.” I was a little surprised

 
  • The definition of “Date” on a dictionary is “a meeting that you have arranged with a boyfriend or girlfriend or with somebody who might become a boyfriend or girlfriend,” and it is the same in Japan.

  • The definition of “Date” the dictionary is “a meeting that you have arranged with a boyfriend or girlfriend or with somebody who might become a boyfriend or girlfriend,” and it is the same in Japan.

 
  • However, maybe “I have a date tonight,” has slight different nuances between in America and Japan.

  • However, maybe “I have a date tonight,” has slightly different nuances between in America and in Japan.

 
  • I imagine Americans feel the way like this, even if the man is not married, as long as he has a girlfriend.

  • I imagine Americans feel the same way, even if the man is not married, as long as he has a girlfriend.

 
If someone says they have a date, I think it could be anything from a first date to a more long-term, serious relationship, or even a date with their spouse. It doesn't have a specific nuance to me.
neginohana
Jul 29th 2010 14:42
Hi, aoiahiru,
Thank you for your comment.
Wow, there are a lot of kinds of "date."
Sounds like fun.

Hi, Aumsung,
Thank you for your corrections and comment.
OH, I don't want to have a date with DEATH.

Hi Tisane,
Thank you for your corrections and comment.
Maybe it depends on the person and the situation.

In Japan, if you don't specify who you're having a date with, it definitely sounds like you're going out with your steady girlfriend/boyfriend.
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If my coworker say, “I have a date tonight,” I will think he has a girlfriend. At least in Japan, most people would think so, I assume. When I talked about it to one of my American friends, he said, “I would think he doesn’t have a steady yet and he is looking for a girlfriend.” I was a


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