Conversation/help

Conversation/help
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Conversation/help
Message from passenger75 posted on 27-07-2015 at 18:45:01 (D | E | F)
Hello everyone,
Does the sentence below seem awkward in a conversation? (in British E, if there's any difference)
It's an honour to be speaking with you.
Maybe I should have used to speak after honour, but I used the gerund in order to show continuity.
How does a native Briton imply that he is happy that he is speaking with the interlocutor when being rather formal?
Thank you for your answers in advance.

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Edited by lucile83 on 27-07-2015 20:15

Re: Conversation/help from razzor, posted on 27-07-2015 at 20:26:40 (D | E)
Hello,
Your sentence is correct! The use of continuity (be + present participle) implies that they are currently speaking to one another.
You would not say, for example, ~~It was an honour to be speaking with you~~, because the sentence uses the preterite ('was') and hence the action is no longer underway. The correct sentence would be "It was an honour to speak with you".
See you!

Re: Conversation/help from sangita13, posted on 28-07-2015 at 08:53:06 (D | E)
Hello!
I would say " It's an honour speaking to you" sounds more correct.
No need to repeat the infinitive'to be'. Also "speaking to you is always an honour" is another way of saying .
Thank you.

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