"We eat when I say we eat!"

Question

"Quiet! We eat when I say we eat!" "OK, we wait for your say-so."

Why can we omit the first "will" in sentences such as:

"We will eat when I say so!"
"We will eat, when I say 'we eat'!"
"We will eat when I say we will eat!"
?

What do we call this?
Does it change the meaning?
Are both correct?
Are there examples in which one can be used, while the other cannot?

I search and see several examples of this in books and movie quotes.

Related, Which is correct: “when you have finished” or “when you will finish”?. — , May 26 '16 at 16:29
I have edited the question because my intent had been to ask about the first "will" and not to even include the second. I'll also now read the possible duplicates linked. — thorr18, May 27 '16 at 12:12

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered May 26 '16 at 14:58

5

I perceive

We eat when I say we eat !

As a general "rule" set up by the person, which does not not necessarily apply only to the near future. It conveys a sense of "I'm the boss and we do things when I say we do !"

I don't know for sure if your other sentence is grammatically incorrect, but it sure doesn't sound good. You could say:

We will eat when I say so !

Which sounds a lot better, and seems to concern only the upcoming meal.

answered May 26 '16 at 14:58

Azami

1,208

1

What you say sounds correct. "We will eat" somehow refers to the upcoming meal and "We eat" to all meals, as if the speaker is establishing a rule. – thorr18 May 27 '16 at 12:19

"We eat when I say we eat!"

1 Answers1