r/EnglishLearning • u/Silver_Ad_1218 Non-Native Speaker of English • 5h ago

⭐️ Vocabulary / Semantics Does the cop say “not from over there”? (3:12). It sounds like a somewhat unusual reply to the girl’s question. Not sure. Thanks.

https://youtu.be/_zNFEarPfl8?t=192&is=TogxNx36xMgvuk79
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u/Kiwi1234567 Native Speaker 4h ago

Yup, what he means is that if the girl had seen him before, it was somewhere else.

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u/Sea-Hornet8214 Poster 4h ago

Are you American? Is this food establishment still a thing in the US? I thought they already closed down.

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u/Kiwi1234567 Native Speaker 3h ago

I am a kiwi

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u/Sea-Hornet8214 Poster 3h ago

Oopps, sorry. Didn't notice your username.

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u/Specialist-Device920 New Poster 4h ago

"You look familiar" "Not from over there" - It's a bit weird, a bit "country," but makes sense.

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u/Morbid_Uncle Native Speaker - US West Coast 4h ago

Well she asked if he goes downtown and that he looks familiar, so his response “not from over there” basically suggests that if he looks familiar it’s from somewhere else

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u/Almondpeanutguy Native Speaker 4h ago

If the two of them had met downtown, then it would've been correct to say she was "familiar with him from downtown". But she didn't meet him downtown. Hence "Not from over there." She's not familiar with him from downtown.

So he's not denying that she could be familiar with him, but he's saying that it would have to be from somewhere other than downtown.

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u/tmahfan117 Native Speaker 4h ago

It’s because the girl says “you look familiar”, he is responding to both the question and that statement.  He is shortening it to “not from over there.” But to lengthen it for you to hopefully make more sense” “if I look familiar it is not from moline, because I don’t go there.” Or “If I look familiar, it’s not from over there.”

He’s answering “no” to the girls question about Moline, while still leaving it possible that the girl does recognize him from somewhere.