affordable

quietdandelion

quietdandelion

Banned
Homesweethome
Formosa/Chinese
1. The extra costs of the car are not affordable for me.
2. The car is not affordable for me.
3. I can't afford (the extra costs of) the car.



I'd like to know if all of the above three sentences sound right. Thanks.
 
    • The first two don't sound right, because it is a passive adjective but you are linking it to a particular subject (yourself). Your last, active, example is fine.

    It is an adjective that is used with items that can be afforded by people in general.
     
    You should use it without reference to a specific subject (person), it's also not usual to use affordable as a negative, as it is intended as a positive adjective. So my answer would be "don't use it in this context".

    At a pinch, I guess you could say "The car repairs were not affordable" but really this is not a likely statement, as affordable is used to say that people in general can afford it.

    You might say "I found their repair charges affordable" but you are making more of a general statement here.
     
    Thanks, MM.
    Now I know better. Btw, I don't quite understand "At a pinch" in your post, and I am going to start a new thread about it based on the rule on this forum. I hope you won't mind.
     
    Matching Mole said:
    [...]because it is a passive adjective but you are linking it to a particular subject (yourself).
    Click to expand...
    :confused: I'm not quite sure what you're saying here, i.e. what exactly your objection to the structure is.
    It is an adjective that is used with items that can be afforded by people in general.
    Click to expand...
    Sure, but I think you can also use it with a specific person. However, I would use a different preposition: "The car is not affordable to me." I'm not saying that's how I would say it, but I don't think it's wrong.
     
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