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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 91
journeyman
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OP
journeyman
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 91 |
When it comes to lunch time, what should I say to the people around me to ask them to have lunch together:
"Let's go to lunch" or "Let's go for lunch"?
My first thought is the former.
But I also see some using the latter. Is the latter right too? Or grammtically right but not very usually used?
Do inform me if you see any corrections needed in my written English. 
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
either works for me, though it's breakfast time for me. :¬ )
I have heard, and use both, probably fairly equally.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Feb 2008
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067 |
And this matters, why? Either. Anything but "let's do lunch" sounds fine to me.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
Kevin Kline (Otto) smiling to angel fish called Wanda : "Hello lunch".
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773 |
One may also catch or grab a bite
dalehileman
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
To me let's go to lunch feels more formal and implies that the food is prepared and waiting. For lunch is looser, merely meaning that it is the middle of the day and I want food whether I plan to buy it, make it or open my lunch box.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I'd say "go to lunch" implied that the whole group was going out to eat lunch. "Go for lunch" would also have the possibility that one person was going to go out and pick up lunch, bringing it back for everyone to eat.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067 |
Other possibilities would include "let's have lunch" or "time for lunch" or just "lunchtime!"
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 6
stranger
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stranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 6 |
My colleagues and I would usually go to lunch together. Sometimes we would eat in, and one of us would go for lunch. Other times we would all bring our lunch from home. On those occasions we would sit around the conference table and discuss what we were having for lunch. On particularly harrowing days, lunchtime would arrive not a moment too soon, and someone would announce "Lunch" at the stroke of noon leading to a race for the door. Maybe they thought we said "Lunge!"
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 557
addict
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addict
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 557 |
As Steffani implies, at work, I can use the word "lunch" to mean either the midday break time or a meal or both. "To lunch", IMO, implies taking the break with the possibility of having the meal while "for lunch" implies having the meal. To take the break for the reason of a meal, perhaps?
In other words, if I say "I'm going to lunch now", you should not assume that I've eaten when I get back, but if I say "I'm going for lunch", you know that food is my purpose.
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