You are welcome to something (a noun)

Question

Hi,I have studies the usage of welcome for hours, and received lots of help from native speakers. But I still have some doubts. So I come here to get a confirmation.1)Can you tell me the structure "you are welcome to something (a noun)" is grammatical or not?An example sentence is : you are welcome to my car.Some native speaker refuses to use it. For him, "you are welcome to use my car" is fine, but "you are welcome to my car" is not right.2)If "you are welcome to my car" is grammatical, does it mean differently from "you are welcome to use my car"?Does it mean "you can have my car; it is yours" ? Also is there a implication that my car is not desirable for me now, so you can have it?3) If "you are welcome to something" is grammatical, sentences like "you are welcome to Hong Kong" is also correct.But natives don't use it because it means "you can own Hong Kong".Do you agree with me ?Any comments are welcome.Thank you!

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I have studies the usage of welcome for hours, and received lots of help from native speakers. But I still have some doubts. So I come here to get a confirmation.

1)
Can you tell me the structure "you are welcome to something (a noun)" is grammatical or not? Yes.
An example sentence is : you are welcome to my car. This is fine. But without any context it suggests that I am happy to give you my car. It's just not a very likely thing to say to someone, unless perhaps you are a generous multi-millionaire..
Some native speaker refuses to use it. For him, "you are welcome to use my car" is fine, but "you are welcome to my car" is not right.

2)
If "you are welcome to my car" is grammatical, does it mean differently from "you are welcome to use my car"?
Does it mean "you can have my car; it is yours" ? Yes, it sounds like you are offering it to me.
Also is there a implication that my car is not desirable for me now, Possibly. The context would make that clear.

so you can have it?

3) If "you are welcome to something" is grammatical, sentences like "you are welcome to Hong Kong" is also correct.
But natives don't use it because it means "you can own Hong Kong". No. We understand that the speaker is not offering to give us an entire city.

Do you agree with me ?

Any comments are welcome. You always need to consider the context of what is said.
For example, you come to visit me and I say 'You are welcome to my house'.
Do you think I am being friendly, or do you think I am offering to give you my house?

Clive

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hi Stephen;

Please do not confuse the preposition "to" with the infinitive marker "to".

You are welcome to use (infinitive) my car. This is granting permission in a very friendly way. The meaning is close to: You may use my car. It is my honor to lend it to you.
Sometimes the infinitive phrase is omitted, and replaced with the prepositional phrase. The meaning is the same. But this only happens when the meaning is very obvious.

You are welcome to study with me. (I appreciate your company.) The infinitive is necessary here. The meaning is more than just permission, it is an invitation.

Greeting and inviting people into someplace is by using the prepositional phrase: to + a place

You are welcome to my home.
This is idiomatic, and usually shortened to the imperative form: "Welcome to our home." or poetically "Welcome to our humble abode."
And also you see these greetings to visitors in the airports: "Welcome to Japan." or in restaurants "Welcome to Marie's"
To here means "into". It is an invitation to come in.

Stephenlearner · Answer

Thank you for your answers, Clive.
For example, you come to visit me and I say 'You are welcome to my house'.
I think you are greeting me.
But when somebody comes to visit me, shouldn't I say "welcome to my house"? Can "you are welcome to my house" used in this context?

Stephenlearner · Answer

Hi AlpheccaStars,

Thank you for your answers and explanation.
You also agree "you are welcome to my home" is correctly used when I greet somebody who arrives at my house, don't you?

Wow!
Why do natives disagree on this?
I asked another native speaker about this question. He strongly rejected "you are welcome to my home". He said it was weird.

Clive · Answer

when somebody comes to visit me, shouldn't I say "welcome to my house"? Can "you are welcome to my house" used in this context? You can say either.
'You are welcome to my house' is more formal and less common.

Actually, the most common thing to say is simply 'Welcome!'

Clive

Stephenlearner · Answer

Thank you for your further answer.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

There is one further grammatical nuance.

The word "welcome" can be either a verb or adjective.

It was a welcome rain. (adjective, meaning "gratefully received")
The drought-stricken farmers welcomed the rain. (Verb form)

When you say "Welcome to my house." you are using the verb form.
When you say "You are welcome to my house." you are using the adjective form.
The past participle is also used:
I felt welcomed. (This is the past participle used as adjective.)

Stephenlearner · Answer

Thank you very much!

You are welcome to something (a noun)

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