English language question

[Maniac]

How do you say your shoestring got untied?

My shoestring is loose/loosened/untied or something?

And how do you say it when your shoestring has *almost* gotten untied, but not yet?

A Chinese asked me this question, but I'm not entirely sure myself. Such day-to-day matters are hardly ever discussed here on Apolyton.

[Zkribbler]

My shoestring is loose or my showstring is untied. "Loosened" is awkward in this context.

And how do you say it when your shoestring has *almost* gotten untied, but not yet?

"My shoestring is coming untied" and "my shoestring is loose" works in this situation to.

[Will9]

Your shoestring is untied: "Your shoe is untied."

Your shoestring is loose: "Your shoe is loose."

[Dauphin]

Wear velcroed shoes, problem solved.

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Will9
Your shoestring is untied: "Your shoe is untied."

Your shoestring is loose: "Your shoe is loose."

So leave out the strings?

[Provost Harrison]

"Your shoe is loose" would make me think it was about to fall off their foot. "Your shoe is untied" or "Your laces are undone/untied" would be fine. Of course in conversation I would contract "shoe is" to "shoe's"

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
"My shoestring is coming untied" and "my shoestring is loose" works in this situation to.

Or "My shoelaces are undone" and "my shoelaces are coming undone"

[snoopy369]

We would not generally use 'shoestring', indeed. "Your shoes are untied", or "Your shoe's untied". "Shoelace" is the word we use in America if we want to refer to the strings, no idea about brits there, so "Your shoelace is loose", or more commonly "Your shoelace is coming undone" or something like that.

edit: Yeah, what Dauphin said.

[Provost Harrison]

Yeah, (shoe)lace here too...

[Provost Harrison]

I must say though, this is a really banal thread

[Provost Harrison]

I think "your shoes are undone" would be the most commonly done.

[Dauphin]

Edit - xpost.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
I must say though, this is a really banal thread

No wonder it attacted you!

[snoopy369]

In the US, "untied" is more common than "undone", in my experience, but they certainly are both common.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


No wonder it attacted you!

Put your handbag away, b*tch