Welcome to join us

[SherryChica]

Hi,

Someone told me that "Welcome to join us" means "you may join us" or "you are allowed to join us". That is, it does not contain the meaning of "welcome" or "greeting".

I checked it with a dictionary, and it seems that way. However, I wonder if I can use it to greet somebody in a friendly way, to show that I am glad that they can join us. If I cannot use this sentence in such a situation, then what's the alternatives?

Thank you.

 

[WAMORZINHO]

I think that who told you Welcome to join us means that you already are joined.
They are congratulations that you joined them.

 

[elroy]

Someone told me that "Welcome to join us" means "you may join us" or "you are allowed to join us". That is, it does not contain the meaning of "welcome" or "greeting".

That's right. It is short for "you are welcome (i.e. free) to join us."

However, I wonder if I can use it to greet somebody in a friendly way, to show that I am glad that they can join us. If I cannot use this sentence in such a situation, then what's the alternatives?

No, you cannot use the title sentence that way. You could say "Welcome! Thanks for joining us."

I think that who told you Welcome to join us means that you already are joined.
They are congratulations that you joined them.

No, that's not what is means. See above.

 

[Dana7]

Right, it means "you are allowed to join us", but in a polite way. If you would like to invite someone to join you happily, you could say simply "Come join us" or "Please join us, you're always welcome". If you say it in a friendly tone of voice then it comes off as an invitation instead of a command.

 

[panjandrum]

Hi,

Someone told me that "Welcome to join us" means "you may join us" or "you are allowed to join us". That is, it does not contain the meaning of "welcome" or "greeting".

I checked it with a dictionary, and it seems that way. However, I wonder if I can use it to greet somebody in a friendly way, to show that I am glad that they can join us. If I cannot use this sentence in such a situation, then what's the alternatives?

Thank you.

Hello SherryChica, and welcome to Wordreference.

I don't think I have ever heard someone say, simply, "Welcome to join us."
It is probably an incomplete version of "You are welcome to join us," as Elroy pointed out, but even taking that into account I think it sounds very strange.

If I did hear it, I would take it as a friendly invitation rather than a greeting or welcome.
I would expect a greeting to come first, then perhaps the invitation.

 

[WAMORZINHO]

No, that's not what is means. See above.

ok! tks, but I think that I always saw the Welcome to join us as a congratulating phrase.
As are you saing that it's wrong I shoul chance my mind about it!
If I made any mistake please correct me. I'm not a native speaker

 

[WestSideGal]

Hi,

Someone told me that "Welcome to join us" means "you may join us" or "you are allowed to join us". That is, it does not contain the meaning of "welcome" or "greeting".

I checked it with a dictionary, and it seems that way. However, I wonder if I can use it to greet somebody in a friendly way, to show that I am glad that they can join us. If I cannot use this sentence in such a situation, then what's the alternatives?

Thank you.

"You are welcome to join us/sit with us/come along/etc. " and other phrases using "you are welcome to" are invitations.

As a greeting, you can just use "Welcome" if that person is coming to visit you in your home for the first time, if they are being greeted at an airport, if they are a new member to an established group, for example, indicating hospitality to the visitor or the newcomer. If that person is returning to these situations, you can use "welcome back" as a greeting.

In all other social situations, the customary "hello", "nice to see you", "Pleased to meet you", etc. are appropriate.

I think that's it

 

[GreenWhiteBlue]

ok! thanks, but I think that I always saw the Welcome to join us as a congratulating phrase.
As are you saying that it's wrong I should change my mind about it!
If I made any mistake please correct me. I'm not a native speaker

Yes, you should change your mind.

As has been said already "Welcome to join us" would sound odd by itself.

"You are welcome to join us" is not a "congratulating phrase"; it is simply a polite way of saying that someone is allowed to join you.

If you are joined by someone, and you want to express pleasure, you may say (as was noted) "Welcome! Thank you for joining us", although "We are glad you were able to join us" is even more natural.

 

[WAMORZINHO]

Oh! Ok! Now I get the definition!
And I'm tankful for the corrections!

 

[SherryChica]

Thank you very much for your explanations and examples. They are really useful and helpful.

Thank you all!

 

[pepperfire]

Oh! Ok! Now I get the definition!
And I'm tankful for the corrections!

Thankful... typographical error.

 

[stephenlearner]

No, you cannot use the title sentence that way. You could say "Welcome! Thanks for joining us."

If you say this to somebody, does it imply the person you are talking to has joined you?

My first understanding of this sentence is you are talking to somebody who has already joined you.

 

[Cagey]

If you say this to somebody, does it imply the person you are talking to has joined you?

My first understanding of this sentence is you are talking to somebody who has already joined you.

Yes, that is when it is used: When the person you are addressing is already there and part of the group.

In case this explanation is useful to anyone who reads this thread:
"Join us" means that you are with us, and doing whatever we are doing.
It doesn't mean to officially become a member of a club, for instance.

 

[stephenlearner]

Thank you for your explanation.

 

[stephenlearner]

I still wrestle with the usage of welcome.
Having read lots of threads about welcome, I begin to think "welcome to do something" is ungrammatical or very unusual.
Probably this structure comes directly from Chinese.
Similar sentences you may find online :

Welcome to take the subway.
Welcome to take my taxi.
Welcome to use the ATM.
Welcome to visit our university.
Welcome to use the online banking system.


All of these are translated from Chinese, and express an attitude stronger than permission and milder than or equal to encouragement.

Some English teachers in China, in order to correct them, change all of the above sentences into these:

Thank you for taking the subway.
Thank you for taking my taxi.
Thank you for using the ATM.
Thank you for visiting our university.
Thank you for using the online banking system.

I agree they are grammatically correct, but I suppose they, unlike "welcome to do something" (they are grammatical in Chinese versions), express different meanings and suit different contexts.

I tend to use "Thank you for doing something" when somebody has done it.
For example, the taxi driver would say "Thank you for taking my taxi", when the passenger is about to leave him/her.

Do you think my opinion is correct?

How can we express the meanings that the structure "welcome to do something" tries to convey?
Does "you are welcome to do something" work?

You are welcome to take the subway.
You are welcome to take my taxi.
You are welcome to use the ATM.
You are welcome to visit our university.
You are welcome to use the online banking system.

Maybe I am mistaken, but I've got an impression that these sentences convey permission rather than encouragement.

What do you think?

Or can we say these sentences below to get across the point expressed by "welcome to do something"?

Welcome! Please take the subway.
Welcome! Please take my taxi.
Welcome! Please use the ATM.
Welcome! Please visit our university.
Welcome! Please use the online banking system.

Are you OK? Do they sound weird?

Could you shed some light? Any comments will be appreciated.

 

[PaulQ]

Welcome to take the subway.
Welcome to take my taxi.[etc.]

All these examples are wrong.

Thank you for taking the subway.

all these are correct but should appear at a place where the decision to take the subway, etc., has already been made and acted upon.

How can we express the meanings that the structure "welcome to do something" tries to convey?
Does "you are welcome to do something" work?

Yes. It is the approximate equivalent of: “You are cordially invited to do something.”

Maybe I am mistaken, but I've got an impression that these sentences convey permission rather than encouragement.

I would take it as a 50/50 mixture of both.

Welcome! Please take the subway. [etc.]

This is two distinct ideas:
Welcome! = a general friendly greeting
Please take the subway. = (i) a neutral invitation to take the subway (ii) Friendly encouragement to take the subway (iii) a passive-aggressive order saying you must take the subway

In (i) the implication is that the subway is there if you want to use it.
In (ii) this might appear on publicity material near a subway station
In (iii) this might be on an official notice – compare with “Please do not smoke.” = It is forbidden to smoke. Or “Please declare all plants to the customs officials.” = You will be in deep trouble if you try to smuggle plants.”

Are you OK?

I’m fine thanks. And you?

Do they sound weird?

No.

 

[stephenlearner]

Thank you for answering my questions. I really appreciate it.

I’m fine thanks. And you?

I am great!!

It was a funny typo. Made myself laugh!